Sometimes They Come Back
by darlin-deveroux
Summary: Santana and Quinn have built the perfect life together, both settled in their careers and raising their beautiful daughter in the idyllic suburb. It seems like nothing could possibly go wrong for them, until a stranger who's had their eye on the family for awhile arrives and alters the course of their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

Santana and Quinn have built the perfect life together, both settled in their careers and raising their beautiful daughter in the idyllic suburb. It seems like nothing could possibly go wrong for them, until a stranger who's had their eye on the family for awhile arrives and alters the course of their lives forever.

* * *

><p>Confession: I love campy anything, whether it's a Lifetime movie or a cheesy thriller fic, hence the motivation behind this one. If this isn't your thing cool, but it's something I want to explore.<p>

For now this story is T, but it will probably go up in rating in later chapters.

As always, I don't own anything in the story except Scout and her sticky doughnut. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"And what does the cow say?"<p>

"Moooooo."

"What about the puppy?"

"Arf arf! Arf, arf, arf!"

Santana laughed loudly as she watched her doughnut covered four year daughter giggle excitedly from her pink and purple booster seat, leaning her small frame to the right as she kicked her shoeless feet.

"Another! Do another!" Scout demanded eagerly as her eyes scanned over the now gooey treat in her hand, picking a white sprinkle off of her chocolate glazed chocolate doughnut before popping it in her mouth.

"Ok, let's see," Santana said as she clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth, shifting on her left blinker and turning onto their street while racking her brain. "What does the kitty cat say Scout?"

"Meooooow, meoooow," Scout replied happily with a chocolaty grin as she placed her doughnut on the seat beside her, moving her sticker covered hands up to her chin and folding her fingers under slightly as she made pretend paws. "Purrr, purrr."

"You're a big silly goose, you know that?" Santana asked, briefly shifting her eyes from the road to the rearview mirror as she smiled at her daughter. "A big ole silly goose."

"No, you're a big ole silly goose Mami!" Scout protested, pointing a sticky finger at her mother as she wiggled it.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that," Santana smiled as she pulled the black Jeep Cherokee into their driveway, Santana sliding her sunglasses up onto the top of her head and shutting her vehicle off before turning in her seat to face her daughter.

"Hey scoots, look who beat us home," she said as she opened her mouth wide, pointing to the white Altima parked in front of them as a slender blonde emerged.

"Mommy!" Scout exclaimed as she craned her neck to see through the windshield, her little hands now balled into excited fists as she shook them. "Mommy's already home, mommy's already home!" Santana laughed as she unbuckled herself and pushed open her door, Quinn now closing her own as she walked down to greet them.

"Well you look yummy," Quinn smiled as she noted the sprinkles and chocolate milk that had been dropped and spilt down the front of Santana's shirt, the brunette glancing down before shrugging as she tilted her head back up.

"What can I say, I make motherhood look good," she shrugged smugly.

"Uh huh," Quinn said as she crossed her arms, tapping her flat as she raised her brows. "Doughnuts before dinner?"

"Well, usually you aren't here when we get here so…" Santana explained in a faraway voice, Quinn nodding at the answer. "You know, I usually have time to clean away the evidence." Santana watched as her wife shook her head, sticking her hands up as she spoke again. "Hey, in my defense, the kid was starving. She dropped her sandwich at lunch, what was I to do? Let her starve? I'm not one of those parents."

"You're a sucker, is what you are," Quinn smiled, rolling her eyes before leaning in for a kiss.

"A sucker for blondes, apparently," Santana shot back, pressing her lips in Quinn's as she gave her a quick peck.

"Yeah, yeah," Quinn murmured as she pulled her lips away, Scout's voice raising as she demanded to be let out of her booster seat.

"…I am in here, hello, someone let me go!" she continued to holler, Quinn shifting her gaze from Santana's Jeep to Santana.

"She gets that from you."

"As if," Santana defended, watching as her wife walked over to the Jeep and opened the back door.

"Mommy!"

"Baby!" Quinn squealed, a smile stretched across her cheeks as she moved inside the backseat to pull her daughter from her booster seat.

"I thought you forgot me mommy, I was all by myself…" Santana could hear Scout say as Quinn unbuckled the smaller blonde, Santana rolling her eyes at her daughter's dramatics as she walked over to join them.

Quinn and Santana had been together now for nine years, married for five of those, the anniversary of their nuptials coming up in April. They'd known each other all throughout high school, their relationship having waxed and waned throughout the course of those four years of pimples, cheerleading, and the drama of young love. It was during their second year of college that they finally figured out there was something more, Santana finally ending things with her longtime/sometime love Brittany and Quinn coming to terms with her sexuality. It'd been a rough road, one filled with the usual long distance turbulence, but they'd made it through and their relationship was better because of it.

After both graduating, Santana with a degree in fashion merchandising and Quinn in English, they'd made the bold decision to move to Los Angeles where'd Santana had been accepted into an internship program, Quinn taking a long term subbing position at a high school. While their relationship was still in its sophomore year and they faced their battles they managed to tough out the hard parts and become stronger than before, defying the doubts of their families and friends as they fell even more in love.

After spending the next two years in a cramped apartment both were promoted, Quinn first to a full time position teaching ninth grade AP Literature and then Santana to a fashion coordinator for a small boutique. They'd decided then that it was time to move up in the world and finally bought a small starter home in a pretty suburb just outside of LA, Santana mocking how domesticated Quinn had made her all the while planning to propose on their four year anniversary. To Quinn's surprise she did, and to Santana's relief she said yes, the two of them marrying in a small commitment ceremony thrown by close family and friends.

They spent the next year enjoying their marital bliss, Quinn enrolling in classes again to earn her Masters and Santana accepting a better paying job at a local magazine. While their professional lives were on a roll Quinn yearned for something more, confessing to Santana on their first wedding anniversary, fifth anniversary of being together total and don't you forget it Santana would correct, that she'd been thinking about a baby. It wasn't something Santana hadn't expected but it wasn't something she'd been planning that soon either, the two discussing the who, what, when, and how's of a baby entering their lives.

A few more months passed and, after analyzing the logistics of their incomes and watching Quinn sing their godson Jackson to sleep, Santana had grown excited at the prospect of having a child with her wife, wanting nothing more than to start a new phase in her life with the woman she'd loved for so long. They discussed an assortment of options until they were blue in the face, both deciding that adoption was the only way they could ever dream of going. They started the long process of meetings, paperwork, and waiting for phone calls, and after two potential adoptions turned into letdowns and nights of tears they finally welcomed Scout Elizabeth Lopez-Fabray into their family.

The adoption was closed and details of their daughter's previous family brief, their new baby girl being taken away from a less than desirable home when she was only a few months old. They gave her a new name and fresh start, Santana and Quinn spending the next few years devoting themselves to the brown eyed bundle of joy who had brought them closer than they ever imagined.

"Oh I would never forget you," Quinn shook as she finished pulling their daughter from the Jeep, pieces of chocolate doughnut rolling off her sundress as she rested happily in her mother's arms.

"Well, ya coulda fooled me," Scout said as she rested the palm of her tiny hand against Quinn's chin, flapping her fingers against her mother's lips as she made an engine sound.

"I'm so sorry love, how can I make it up to you?" Quinn asked as Scout moved her hand up to the blonde's nose, pinching her nostrils together and giggling as Quinn's voice went nasal.

"Hmm, lemme think," the bundle of blonde curls cooed as she moved her hand from Quinn's face to her own, tapping a tacky finger against her chin before shooting it up in the air with a squeal. "I know! I can watch _Tangled_ in your bed!"

"In our bed, huh?" Santana asked as she arched a brow, making her way to the trunk of her vehicle as she began pulling Scout's backpack and lunchbox out.

"Yes, in your bed, that's what I would like, thank you," Scout nodded in a matter-of-factly way, wiggling herself out of Quinn's arms as she moved to stand beside her mother. "And Mr. Cupcake gets to come too." Quinn met Santana's gaze as they secretly discussed the proposition with their brows, the two of them trying to wean their daughter from sleeping in their bed. So far they were losing terribly, Santana never able to say no to her daughter's pouty bottom lip.

"Well mama, whatcha think?" Santana asked, Quinn already knowing Santana was suckered in. "I mean we did abandon her in the backseat."

"Yeah, what she said," Scout agreed as she looked up at Quinn, sticking her thumb out as she pointed to Santana.

"I guess that, for tonight, it would be ok," Quinn nodded slowly, Scout squealing as she ran for the front door.

"Come on, we have so much to do!" Scout shouted behind her as she ran, her blonde curls bouncing as her yellow polka dotted dress flapped against her chunky legs.

"Every time," Quinn sighed as she turned to stare at her wife, Santana's face falling as she sputtered to defend herself.

"What? I mean-she, you-" Quinn stuck a hand up as she walked away, shuffling in her purse for the house key as Scout listed what they needed to get done before their slumber party.

* * *

><p>"…alright, love you too. Bye babe."<p>

Quinn clicked off the call as she entered the kitchen, plugging her cell into the charger before making her way towards Santana at the stove.

"Kurt, Blaine, and Jackson will be here around 6 on Friday," she informed Santana as she grabbed a slice of bell pepper, biting an end off and chewing it slowly as she informed her wife of their weekend plans. "I don't have any night classes Friday but I'm doing my tutoring, so can you pick them up from the airport? I'm done around 5:30 but with traffic I'd never make it on time, and you know Kurt will kill us if we make them wait with Jackson."

"No, I know. That should work for me," Santana agreed, taking her eyes off the pan of sizzling meat as she smiled. "I'm usually out by 5, I'll just get squirt like usual and swing by to get them. Her daycare is only a few minutes away from the airport."

"Hey," a now clean faced Scout called from her booster seat at their kitchen table, looking up from her drawing of a butterfly as she flashed her mother's an unapproving face. "Not a squirt."

"Squirt," Santana repeated, Scout sticking out her tongue at her mother as the brunette scrunched her face.

"No tongue, what did I say," Quinn intervened, walking towards her daughter as she pointed her finger.

"Sorry," Scout sighed, swinging her bare feet back and forth and twirling a curl as she debated between which crayon to color with next.

"Wait, Quinn, I can't get Scout or Kurt and Blaine on Friday," Santana suddenly spoke up, both her girls looking towards her as she remembered. "I have a meeting and dinner with the head of Je Désire who we invited down so we could feature some of their pieces in a shoot we're doing next month for the magazine. We're supposed to schmooze them and then hopefully convince them to let us use their new line. I know the meeting is that afternoon but with dinner and everything, I don't know how long that'll take."

"That's great San," Quinn supported, moving back to the brunette and rubbing her wife's elbow as she smiled.

"Yeah, good job Mami," Scout encouraged, smiling widely as her cheeks bulged.

"Thanks baby," Santana grinned as she blew her a kiss, looking back over to Quinn who was now crunching her teeth into the piece of bell pepper in her hand repeatedly. "But that means you'll have to get them both." Quinn racked her brain as she tried to think of a solution, Santana continuing to cook as Scout scribbled green across her paper.

"School is out by 3:15. My tutoring starts at 3:30 and ends at 5:30. If I…I'd have to leave…the day care is closed at 6 though, and by the time I get through traffic…Kurt and Blaine would be there till God knows when..." She continued to mull the situation over, Santana tossing in the vegetables Quinn hadn't eaten as she stirred them around.

"I'll just have to cancel my tutoring session, reschedule it for another day," Quinn finally concluded, tearing her eyes off the pepper shaker she'd been zoned in on as she thought. "Then I'll have more than enough time to get Scout and pick them up."

"Are you sure?" Santana asked, lifting the pan off the stove as she tossed the mixture around. "I mean-I hate to make you do all that."

"Well, the only other option is if we, you know…"

"No, no way."

"Hired…"

"Quinn."

"Someone to help us." Santana glared at Quinn as the contents in the pan continued to sizzle, halting her movements as Quinn shrugged. "What? I'm just saying, it's an option."

"No, it's not," Santana argued, setting the pan down on the stove as she reached for a lime. "You know I don't like the idea of having some random person we don't know from Adam with our kid."

"Who's Adam? Is he coming to play?" Scout asked, Santana looking over at her daughter and snorting before Quinn spoke up.

"Santana they wouldn't be random, we would interview them first," Quinn explained again for the thousandth time, her and Santana having had the conversation many times before. "We'd get to ask them all kinds of questions and check their backgrounds. I'm not suggesting we let a criminal care for our kid."

"It's not that," Santana defended, meeting Quinn's eyes and noting her wife's brow raise as she shook her head. "Ok it isn't just that. And anyways I don't see a need for help, it's not like we're always double booked like this."

"Oh really?" Quinn countered, crossing her arms as she leaned a hip against the counter. "How many times have you scrambled to get to the daycare before they close? Or had to pay the overtime fee because you were late?" Santana avoided Quinn's eyes as she sliced the lime in half, setting the knife aside and grabbing one portion.

"Or what about before we even took her to daycare, when you were so against her being kept with "a bunch of snot faced latchkey kids" and I was strapping her to my chest and taking her to my night classes huh?"

"Snot faced latchy kids, mama you silly," Scout piped up, shaking her head as she giggled at her mother.

"I'm just saying, you were resistant then and now look, she's perfectly fine. She has great social skills, tons of little friends, and she's actually learning."

"Yeah, a little too much if you ask me," Santana mumbled, eyeing her daughter across the room and smiling as Scout hummed the theme song to _The Little Mermaid_.

"San," Quinn moaned, shifting her head to the other side as she rolled her eyes. "Come on."

"I'm sorry, ok, I just can't get comfortable with having someone doing stuff with our daughter that we should be doing."

"Santana it's not like I'm saying we let someone else raise her," Quinn explained. "I just think that, with the way our schedules are now, we need a little extra help." Santana remained silent as she cut the stove off, sliding the pan to an off burner as she wiped her hands off on a dishcloth.

"It would only be temporary, just until I graduate in May. I won't have any more night classes after that to plan for, just the tutoring. Besides, I had babysitters watch me and look, I turned out fine."

"Oh, honey," Santana said softly as she sighed, Quinn furrowing her brow as her wife smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny," Quinn snapped, Santana flashing her a teasing grin before moving around the counter to stand in front of her.

"You know I love you despite all your crazy babe," Santana said softly as she rubbed her hands up and down Quinn's crossed arms.

"I'm serious, San, we need a little help. I need a little help," Quinn murmured, Santana nodding her head quietly as she pushed Quinn's bangs away. "There's nothing wrong in needing help."

"I know," Santana grumbled, pulling Quinn to her and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Tell you what, let me think about it a little. Give me the weekend to try to come up with something. If I fail, we do it your way." Quinn looked over Santana's face without speaking, her wife shaking her playfully until the blonde smiled.

"Fine, but the minute you fail, and you will, I start looking."

"Psh, like I'm gonna fail," Santana dismissed, stepping away from Quinn and heading back to the stove as she grabbed the pan of fajitas. "I don't fail at anything babe. I mean, I got you, didn't I?"

"Oh, honey," Quinn repeated back, Santana shooting Quinn a dirty look as the blonde smirked.

"You little twerp."

"Mama said twerp, mama said twerp," Scout repeated in a sing-song voice, slinging her head side to side as her curls slung across her face.

"No she didn't, no she didn't," Santana dismissed, moving their dinner to the table as Quinn grabbed plates.

"Yes she did, yes she did!" Scout corrected, pointing her finger at her mother as Santana leaned down and nibbled at the tip.

"And this is why I need help," Quinn commented as she arrived at the table, passing Scout her Cinderella plate before placing bigger ones down for her and Santana. "Because I'm raising two kids, not one."

"Hey, don't lump me with her," Scout corrected, taking her pink fork and pointing it at Quinn as Santana tore chicken up on her plate.

"Oh really? You think you're not a kid?" Santana asked in amusement, Scout sticking a piece of chicken on her fork before twirling it around.

"Me? No way, speak for yourself," Scout dismissed, shoving the bite in her mouth as she chewed.

"I told you," Quinn spoke up, Santana fighting back a laugh as she met her wife's stare. "She gets it from you."

* * *

><p>The Lopez-Fabray's settled in for bed, Quinn and Santana's bed stuffed with everything from half-dressed Barbie dolls and pastel colored bunny rabbits to shiny Disney princess blankets and soft bear pillows. Quinn gently rubbed Scout's now full and clean belly as she watched Rapunzel hit Flynn Rider in the head with a frying pan, her warm tummy bouncing up and down from under her Minnie Mouse night shirt as she giggled sleepily. Santana went downstairs and checked the locks on the doors, making sure the coffee pot was set and that Scout's lunch was packed for daycare as she made her final sweep through the house.<p>

What she did miss however was the ominous shadow that was cast on the window of their dining room, the long, dark outline belonging to a stranger who didn't belong at their home. The shadow moved across the window as the figure it fit to hid carefully in the large bushes, the quiet of the night only broken by the _crunch crunch crunch_ of boots on wet grass.

Two hands appeared, resting on a window sill as peering eyes watched the brunette in shorts and a tee shirt flicker out each light one by one. The brunette then climbed the stairs, completely unaware of what plan was being formed just outside her window.


	2. Chapter 2

"I personally think it's a great idea."

Quinn flashed Santana a triumphant smile as she finished filling Kurt's coffee mug, her wife returning her greeting with an eye roll as she stirred creamer into her own cup.

The two couples had been relaxing at Quinn and Santana's kitchen table after their exhausting day of keeping up with their four and five year olds, Scout and Kurt and Blaine's son Jackson having run off to her room to play Princess Fights the Dragon after dinner. Their weekend so far had been filled with catching up with each other and sharing stories about their rambunctious children, their Saturday spent between Peekaboo Playland and Maze Rooms.

"See, Kurt agrees, he gets it," Quinn pointed out proudly, placing a peck atop Kurt's head before moving to put the coffee pot back on the counter. She'd been catching him up on her and Santana's current child care conflict, both of them presenting their sides as their friend listened attentively before agreeing with Quinn, much to Santana's chagrin.

"Gee Kurt, thanks," Santana got out through gritted teeth, locking eyes with her friend across the table as she slowly sipped from her mug.

"What? I'm just saying, it's not the most heinous suggestion there is," he defended, shrugging lightly as he waved a hand in the air.

"No, it's not," Quinn chimed in, walking back to the table and taking a chair by Santana as she sat down. "But you can't convince Santana of that."

"I never said it was _heinous_," Santana defended. "I just said that I didn't exactly think we were…desperate enough. Yet." Quinn and Kurt locked eyes as they silently discussed the brunette, Santana leaning back in her chair as she looked past the kitchen towards the stairs. "Where's Blaine, I need someone to be on my team."

"There are no teams," Kurt dismissed as he swatted at her hand.

"Though if there were you would totally be losing," Quinn murmured into her mug, Kurt snorting as Santana glared at him.

"She said it!" he pointed out, Santana turning away from them as she watched Blaine walk back into the kitchen.

"Thank God, I need you," Santana sighed, waving him over as she pointed two fingers at Kurt and Quinn.

"Oh I love it when a woman says that," Blaine joked, sliding into Santana's lap as he wrapped his arms around her neck. "Oh wait, never mind."

"Tell them I'm not crazy," Santana pleaded into Blaine's chest, resting her head there as she slid her arms around his waist. "Tell them I'm justified."

"Guys, Santana is not crazy," Blaine said sternly, contradicting his words with a head shake as he petted her hair. "And she is totally justified. About what, dunno, but I have her back on this one."

"Thank you," Santana smiled as she looked up at Blaine, her friend rubbing the tip of his nose against hers before reaching out for his cup of coffee.

"Anytime," he nodded. "Now, someone fill me in on what I just agreed with."

"Santana is against hiring help for Scout," Kurt updated, tapping his nails against his mug as he watched Blaine's face contort.

"Oh, well I actually do agree with you then," Blaine declared as he scrunched his nose, Quinn and Kurt meeting his statement with scoffs as he shrugged.

"Thank you, see, thank you!" Santana spoke up loudly, hear head raising from Blaine's chest as she looked at her wife with a smug smile. "Someone with some sense, finally."

"So, are you saying you lied about thinking about a nanny when I brought it up last month?" Kurt asked with a snap, his lips pursing as he stared at his husband.

"No, Kurt, I'm not," Blaine defended as he held up a soft hand. "And if I recall, I only said I agreed to have a conversation about the possibility, not that I wanted to start looking through Craigslist immediately."

"Craigslist, ew," Santana piped up, Blaine meeting her expression with an equally disgusted one.

"Ok, this has spiraled out of control," Quinn spoke up, waving her hands as she cut them all off. "I never said anything about a nanny, or Craigslist. All I said was we need some extra help with Scout, primarily getting her from daycare in the afternoons since we are always crammed with work and school."

"And I said I just don't think it's that great of an idea," Santana added, Quinn turning to look at the brunette as she smiled.

"You did," she agreed. "But you also said that if you couldn't come up with another strategy by the end of this weekend then it was something we'd look into. And from what I can tell you haven't thought of another plan of attack, have you?" Santana remained silent as she looked at her reflection in her coffee, her image rippling as she tapped her foot against the table.

"Not…at this moment," she finally answered, Quinn leaning back in her chair as she listened. "But I still have all day tomorrow, a full 24 hours so ha!"

"Oh you naïve little nymph," Kurt sighed into his coffee, taking a sip as Santana looked him over.

"That's plenty of time!" she went on, Blaine patting her head as he offered her a sympathetic smile.

"Sure it is, Sanny, sure," he said sweetly, meeting eyes with his husband before grimacing.

* * *

><p>"Mommy, you promise Jackson will be back soon to see me?"<p>

Quinn turned around in the front passenger side seat she was sitting in, looking back to see her daughter tugging at the mane of her orange plastic pony as she sniffled. Their family had just dropped the Anderson's off at the airport, Scout having spent the entire ride there in tears as she pleaded to her parents to let Jackson stay just one more night.

"Yes baby, I promise you they'll be back before you even know it," Quinn tried to soothe, reaching her arm out and squeezing Scout's knee tenderly. "Today is September 1st, and your Uncle Kurt said they would be coming in for your birthday party on the 28th. That's only 28 more days."

"27 really, since today is almost over," Santana chimed in, Quinn meeting her eyes as she smiled.

"See, that's not very long at all," Quinn said softly, rubbing Scout's knee as she watched her daughter nod slowly. "And you won't even notice it, what with Kindergarten starting soon and all the new things you'll be learning and friends you'll make, he'll be back before you even know it."

"Can we make a Santa chain?" Scout asked, running her small hand across her cheek as she wiped away a tear. "But not for taking one off for every night we're closer to when Santa comes, but for every day till Jackson gets here?"

"Of course we can love," Quinn nodded. "When can even use that pretty purple wrapping paper we used to wrap mami's Mother's Day gift."

"Oooh, yeah!" Scout cheered enthusiastically, sitting up a little taller in her booster seat as she smiled.

"We can hang it by your Birthday Party one boo," Santana spoke up again, looking up in the rear view mirror as she flashed Scout a smile. "Count down both your big days." Scout was smiling widely now as she kicked her flip flopped feet back and forth, Quinn turning back around in her seat as she sighed.

"Five, I can't believe she'll be five," she said softly as she pushed her bangs back, Santana nodding as she steered them onto their road. "And she starts Kindergarten in two weeks, it's crazy."

"I know, it's like it all flew by. Then next month Jackson will be six. I still remember when Kurt and Blaine had him," the brunette shook, thinking back to when she first held her godson and how terrified she'd been.

Kurt and Blaine had dated throughout high school, marrying a year after graduating and both moving in to the apartment Kurt had in New York. Kurt worked in fashion like Santana only as a designer, playing an integral role in helping Santana land her internship. Blaine was a member of a theater troupe who wrote and starred in a number of off Broadway plays, the two of them having decided to have a baby later in their marriage. Unlike Quinn and Santana they'd chosen to use a surrogate, an older brunette woman named Ruth from Blaine's troupe volunteering to donate her egg and carry the baby. She'd never had children herself and didn't plan on having any with her husband, the arrangement working out like a dream. They'd welcomed their son Jackson Hummel Anderson in October, naming their son after Ruth's husband as a way of making him a part of their family as well.

"I know," Quinn agreed, watching as the trees and phone towers breezed past her window. "How scared you were that you'd drop him. How you almost did." Santana turned to see her wife giggling at her, reaching over and pinching her elbow before the blonde squealed.

"Not nice," Scout called from the back seat, Santana apologizing before Quinn leaned over to rest her head on Santana's shoulder.

"But then we decided to adopt Scout and you were a natural."

"She had it out for me there in the beginning," Santana pointed out, Quinn leaning her head up as she looked at Santana's face. "Always crying when you walked in, like I pinched her or something."

"She did not," Quinn laughed as she swatted at Santana's thigh. "She could just sense that you were tense, babies have that ability."

"She sniffed out my fear is what she did," Santana said lowly, slowing the vehicle as their driveway approached. "Like a bloodhound." Quinn nudged Santana as she unbuckled herself, the brunette shifting the Jeep into park before turning it off.

"Well, bloodhound or not, she loves you," Quinn called as she climbed out, moving to the backdoor and opening it as she leaned across to reach for Scout.

"Who you talkin' about mommy?" Scout asked, Quinn grinning as she shook her head.

"Your grandma Judy."

"Ooooh, ok," Scout nodded, wrapping her arms around Quinn's neck, pony in hand, as the blonde pulled her from her booster seat. Santana smiled fakely as she met Quinn's eyes across the hood of the Jeep, mouthing 'liar' as they headed inside.

Scout and Santana began making their chain for Jackson's return as Quinn prepared dinner, the small family discussing the week to come as Scout planned out which stuffed animal she'd be taking for show and tell and informing her mother's about the boy in her class who picked his nose. They ate quickly and played Candy Land after doing the dishes, Scout insisting she was Princess Lolly and that Quinn was Queen Frostine. Santana had inquired about who she was in the game and Scout had giggled she was Lord Licorice, the answer prompting Santana to chase her daughter around the kitchen table and through the dining room, across their den and down the hall into Scout's room until she had been captured and tossed on her bed to be tickled until she was red.

Santana agreed to stop tickling Scout if she took a bath, Quinn and Santana's daughter agreeing quickly as to stop her mami's fingers from squeezing her sides. They'd gotten her in the tub effortlessly but convincing her to get out had been a chore, Scout insisting that her Belle figurine was not yet clean.

"Alright, well, mommy's gonna go to bed then. I'm really tired and I have a big day tomorrow," Quinn sighed, trying to Jedi mind trick her daughter as she wiped her hands off.

"Ok mommy, goodnight," Scout called, waving a pruney hand as she filled her pink cup up again with water. "See you in the mornin'. Sleep tight."

"Sleep tight my love, and be careful. That water's gonna get pretty cold soon," Quinn informed her daughter as she stood, setting Scout's towel on the toilet lid as she turned. "And you know how you always shiver when you get out. I think you're gonna wish there was someone to warm you up with your towel." At this statement Scout, who was wearing a lopsided mound of soap bubbles as a crown, looked up quickly at her mother, the plastic doll in her hand releasing air bubbles as she held her under the water.

"Wait, no one is gonna dry me off?" she asked as her voice rose, Quinn shaking her head as she crossed her arms. "Uuuuuh, weeeeell, I think I change my mind."

"I think that's a good choice," Quinn agreed, Scout taking her cup and pouring it on her head as she tried to rinse off the last of her bubble crown. Quinn helped her wash out the rest of the soap, Scout moving to stand in the tub as Quinn bent over to let the water out.

"Alright squirt, your bed is all pulled back and _Good night, Moon_ is ready to be read," Santana called as she entered the bathroom, Scout stepping out onto the Snow White bath rug as bubbles slid down her wet body.

"Not a squirt, I told you!" Scout corrected as she pointed a shriveled finger, Quinn wrapping the floral towel around her tiny frame before picking her up.

"Yeah, yeah," Santana dismissed, stepping forward to kiss Scout's forehead as her daughter wiggled in Quinn's arms.

"Yeah, yeah," Scout mimicked back, Santana flashing her wide eyes before blowing a raspberry against her neck.

"Alright, children, let's go," Quinn spoke up, Scout's wet skin soaking through the towel as it dampened her clothes. The three of them headed down the hall, Scout and Santana going back and forth as Quinn listened and laughed.

As they dressed and tucked in their little girl, the glass door in their den that led to their patio, and had been unknowingly left unlocked from the frequent use over the weekend, turned carefully. A casual passerby or neighbor wouldn't have known this fact about the back door but the gloved hand twisting the knob quietly did, having watched the family over the weekend and noting their movements. The stranger also knew that once the couple tucked the little girl in and headed upstairs that they turned in for the night shortly after, the only further movements belonging to the brunette who checked the locks and coffee pot. Now was the only moment they had to get in before the door was locked back, hurried but hushed hands pushing the door in.

As the door was opened inch by inch a black boot crept inside, a cloaked frame emerging next as the figure stepped fully inside. Eyes peered around the darkened room before the stranger listened to the voices from the hall, steps sounding against the hardwood floor until they stopped and only one voice could be heard.

_"…Good night, light and the red balloon, Good night, bears. Good night, chairs…"_

The stranger made their way across the den, halting, moving, then lurching to a stop as thoughts came and went quickly. The opportunity at hand wouldn't come again soon, if ever, and a plan had to be made, their mind racing quickly as the intruder decided to slip into the coat closet and wait patiently until the family was firmly asleep.

"Good night, stars. Good night, air," Santana read softly, Quinn stroking Scout's hairline as their daughter's drifted to sleep. "Good night, noises everywhere." Santana closed the book gently as she turned off the lamp on the dresser and turned on an angel nightlight, watching Quinn move from her position beside Scout as she pressed a kiss against the sleeping girl's soft cheek.

"Good night sweetheart," Quinn whispered to Scout, Santana following as she pecked the little blonde's nose.

"Good night squirt." They both tiptoed out into the hall, leaving the sticker covered door cracked as they headed upstairs to their bedroom.

"After this weekend, she should sleep through the night," Quinn finally said as they entered their own bedroom, pulling her earrings out and placing them on top of her dresser as she talked to Santana through the mirror in front of her.

"Fingers crossed, and since she stayed in her own bed this weekend she might do it again tonight," Santana pointed out hopefully, pulling off her shirt as she tossed it into the laundry hamper in the corner. "Well, Jackson slept with her though."

"She adores him," Quinn smiled as she slid out of her own blouse. "And they play so well together, no arguing or fighting over toys."

"Yeah, didn't even realize they were in the house half the time," Santana added, kicking out of her jeans as she yawned.

"I know," Quinn said softly, turning around from her place at the mirror as she leaned her back against the dresser. "Has she ever talked to you about wanting a brother?"

"Here and there," Santana answered, running her hands through her hair before pulling it up into a bun. "Why?"

"I don't know, she brought it up again in the bathtub tonight," Quinn shrugged, crossing her arms and resting them against her tank topped chest as she stared at her feet. "Made me think a little." Santana stopped in her spot as she watched Quinn fiddle her toes, squinting her eyes as she inched forward.

"Quinn," she called out lowly. "Are you saying _Scout_ wants a baby or that _you_ want a baby?" Quinn continued looking down, Santana stepping closer as her wife shrugged.

"I'm not saying that exactly, I just, you know…" Quinn trailed off, finally meeting Santana's gaze as she shrugged. "What? You've never thought about it?"

"No, I have," Santana nodded. "I always imagined having two or three. Just surprised it's coming from you, especially after the whole, "We need help," speech."

"I don't sound like that," Quinn laughed, stepping towards her wife and using her hands to push Santana's.

"You do, with the whole nasal thing, you do," Santana objected, smiling as she wrapped her arms around Quinn's waist.

"I'm not saying now, what with my teaching and tutoring and night classes, Scout starting school, you and the French, and everything else but-hey, wait a minute," Quinn suddenly snapped, Santana frowning as Quinn removed her hands from Santana shoulders. "You had until…right now, actually, to come up with an alternate babysitting plan."

"A what?" Santana asked, playing off the question as she pulled Quinn back to her.

"Oh no, don't pretend like you don't know," Quinn shook, refusing to let Santana off the hook but still allowing her wife to plant soft kisses against her neck as she rested her hands again on the brunette's shoulders. "You had until today to create a way to fix our scheduling issues without using outside help, and I wanna hear your grand idea."

"Babe, come one," Santana mumbled into the crook of Quinn's neck, moving her hands to Quinn's hips as her tongue lapped at her wife's clavicle. "I've got something going right now, I'll tell you later."

"_Oh San_," Quinn purred as she played along, moving her lips to Santana's ear as she giggled. "You don't have anything going on until you admit defeat." Santana groaned as she pulled back, Quinn's eyebrow raised as she waited. "Well?"

"Fine, I got nothing," Santana admitted, throwing her hands up as she sighed. "Zilch, zero, nada. I have absolutely no idea how to accommodate our schedules without hiring help. There, are you happy?" Quinn smiled triumphantly as she moved her hands to rest on her hips, Santana wanting to be aggravated but too turned on by the small hickey now forming on Quinn's chest.

"Very," Quinn answered with a head nod. "So, I can start looking for help?"

"Ugh, yes," Santana groaned with an eye roll, leaning her head back dramatically before snapping it forward again and pointing. "But I get say so. I get to help weed out whack jobs and ask the questions."

"_Some_ questions, I have my own to ask thank you," Quinn corrected. "And you can't scare anyone off. No yelling in Spanish or muttering under your breath about the cartel."

"Oh my God, one time, I mentioned it one time," Santana guffawed, Quinn narrowing her eyes as she waited. "Fine, fine, I get it."

"Good," Quinn smiled again, reaching out for Santana's hand and pulling her back in. "Now, come here. I'm gonna help make losing a little lighter." Santana smiled as Quinn's mouth latched onto hers, the blonde's hand disappearing underneath the cotton of her panties as her eyes rolled back.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, the coat closet opened and the dark figure hiding among the contents emerged, having waited as long as they could stand. Quietly and carefully, the intruder crept across the dark living room, entering the hall way and looking around until a pink, decorated door caught their eye.<p>

A nervous smile formed and slow steps were taken, a foreign hand pushing the door open to reveal a small room illuminated by only a nightlight. The walls were covered in colorful pictures, animal posters, and shelves of cartoon figures and stuffed animals, sticker hearts stuck to random places as glow in the dark stars covered the ceiling. There were toys scattered around and a pile of assorted polka dotted flip flops and glittery flats behind the door, princess crowns and feathered boas resting atop a dresser that had flowery underwear and unicorn socks poking out. A bookcase that been colored on with crayon rested by the window and from it hung sparkly dream catchers, the curtains a plaid purple and white. Amid all the pink chaos and commotion slept a small little girl in a soft bed, her hands clasped together as they rested under her head of curls.

The intruder took in the sight as they stepped over, adjusting the blankets around the small girl before running a hand over the child's cheek. A pink bunny that had once been between the little girl's arms rested on the floor now, being picked up and almost placed back with the young girl before it was tucked away in a coat. A picture frame and bracelet were confiscated as well, all resting at the bottom of the jacket pocket, their fate and purpose yet unknown.

"Soon, I promise," an unfamiliar voice whispered before the lips that echoed the words placed a kiss atop the little girl's forehead, the stranger taking in one last glance before turning to leave.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying this new endeavor!

Also quick mention that the new JAtH chapter is coming shortly, those chapters just take so much more emotion and energy to write, but it's on its way!

* * *

><p>"…and make sure there are enough cookies for all five, ok?"<p>

"Uh huh."

"I want there to be an even number for each person."

"Ok."

"And-lemons! You got lemons, right?"

"Sure."

"I need to slice those for the tea."

"Of course."

Santana half listened to Quinn's rambling as she and Scout slid their spatulas under the batch of oatmeal cookies, Santana dispensing hers onto the glass dish her wife had insisted they use while Scout nibbled on and pocketed her own.

It was Saturday in the Lopez-Fabray house and the couple was preparing to meet their first candidate for the babysitting, nannying if you asked Quinn, position, the two having finally placed an ad online and weeding out the applicants down to five. The entire process had been one that had caused several arguments and tantrums, Quinn, Santana, and Scout all disagreeing on what they were looking for in their potential caregiver.

"They need to have some degree of education," Quinn had declared as they typed up the application, insisting that a minimum of a high school diploma, and CPR certification, was necessary.

"I think experience is way more important," Santana had argued back, much more comfortable with someone who had actually given the Heimlich maneuver than someone who could discuss the steps.

"Pink hair! With sparkles!" had been Scout's only request, convinced that her mothers were hiring some version of a Lalaloopsy doll to take care of her rather than an actual human being.

At last they had come up with their ad; family of three seeking an afternoon care provider for their four, soon to be five _thank you very much_, year old daughter. Experience and knowledge of children was necessary, salary negotiable, the family receiving eleven applications within a span of three days and spending the following week narrowing it down to five.

"I still don't understand why we're serving them snacks," Santana spoke up as she pulled the last cookie from the baking tray, meeting Quinn's narrow gaze with a shrug. "What? I'm just saying, I'm pretty sure they're trying to impress us, not the other way around."

"Because snacks are great mami," Scout spoke up, breaking a cookie in half before shoving a piece into her mouth. "Who doesn't like a cookie?"

"Yes, and also because," Quinn added, wiping away Scout's mouth of crumbs while reaching over and grabbing the plate of cookies. "It's a nice gesture."

"It's pretentious, is what it is," Santana grumbled, Quinn now pursing her lips as Santana chuckled. "Oh come on Quinn! Since when are we tea and crumpet people?!"

"No mami, they're cookies, not trumpets," Scout dismissed, shaking her head as her pigtails bounced back and forth.

"What? I want to serve them some snacks, what's wrong with that?" Quinn defended. "I'm being a good host!"

"You broke out the nice glassware for this, we never use that stuff unless your mother is coming, and speaking of your mother…"

"If you compare me to her, so help you God," Quinn gritted out, Santana noting the tone and letting her sentence trail away.

"I love you, you know you're my one and only-"

"Hey!" Scout interjected, Santana patting her head as she guided her out the kitchen.

"But I think you're getting a little too into this, and focusing on the wrong area of these interviews," Santana said lightly, putting the tray and spatula in the sink before following Quinn into the living room. "I mean, who cares if they have cookies? I care that they know how to keep my kid alive." Santana watched as Quinn, for the third time that day, wiped at a spot on the coffee table. "And I thought I was being uptight about all this-"

"I'm not uptight!" Quinn dismissed quickly, setting the cookies down on the coffee table before wiping her hands. "I just-I want to create a welcoming atmosphere. The website said-"

"Oh my God, with the articles," Santana groaned, leaning her head back and rolling her eyes as Quinn glared at her.

"You know, for someone who dragged her feet throughout this whole process, I thought that you of all people would care more about getting this together," Quinn said sharply, Santana bringing her head back down to see Quinn tapping her foot with her arms crossed.

"I do care, I care about meeting the people, not impressing them. And anyways, I also know we aren't going to hire any of these people," Santana shrugged, Quinn raising her brows as she laughed.

"Oh really? We're not?"

"Nope."

"And why is that?"

"Because," Santana said carelessly, reaching down for a cookie as she sighed. "I said we could_ look_ for someone to help out with Scout, never said we'd _hire_ them." At that, Quinn's cheeks flushed red, her hands balling into fists momentarily before she used one to knock the cookie out of Santana's hand.

"Lo juro por Dios," Quinn muttered as she stormed past Santana, the brunette left reeling as she listened to her wife spit out what little Spanish she had picked up from Santana.

"Hey! You can't use my Native tongue against me!"

"Don't worry, it's the last time it'll be getting any use for a _long_ time!" Santana winced at the statement, knowing she'd pissed Quinn off and wanting to make it right as she followed behind.

The truth was that Santana was still terrified at the idea of letting some stranger near her daughter, having been overly protective of their child since they'd first held her. Ever since, she'd wanted to provide the little girl with any and everything she'd ever need, knowing that the day had come where she couldn't and feeling a twinge of guilt that in some way she'd failed her. Quinn had realized this, long before Santana had of course, and had been understanding, focusing her own energy into trying to create an atmosphere that would hopefully make Santana, and their potential nanny, more comfortable. Neither had openly explained any of this so the tension had grown, Santana disguising her fears in lazy withdrawal as Quinn buried hers in stage setting and expensive glassware.

"Quinn, you know I don't mean that," Santana called as she walked back into the kitchen, Quinn now slicing through lemons expertly as she avoided Santana's eyes. "You know I'm just-"

"Avoiding the issue at hand because it reflects what you've internalized are your failings as a parent?"

"I was gonna go with kidding, but yours works too," Santana nodded, moving around the counter as she stood behind Quinn. "It _is_ very important to me. I _do_ take this seriously. And I know that, unfortunately, we're gonna let one of these people take care of Scout."

"And you get to have as much say in that as you want," Quinn repeated for the hundredth time, halting the knife as she turned to look at Santana. "We make this decision together."

"And me!" Scout spoke up, neither of them realizing their daughter had re-entered the kitchen as she sat at the table eating another cookie.

"See, kid's a ninja, we need help tracking her movements," Quinn whispered, Santana snorting as she placed a kiss against the side of Quinn's head.

"Is your room all picked up like mommy asked?" Santana questioned Scout, her daughter nodding her head as she chewed. "Now remember, you're gonna come do your part of the interview when we call. No sneaking out of the den to see what we're up to. Capiche?"

"Capiche!" Scout cheered with a thumbs up.

Quinn and Santana had agreed, much to Scout's insistence, to letting her be a part of the interview process, Santana not wanting to subject their daughter to a string of strangers but Quinn pointing out that Scout would be the one spending time with them. They came to an agreement that after they asked all their questions and got a feel of the person, Santana deeming that they weren't a pedophile or creep, they would let Scout meet them and ask her own questions.

"Alright, I'm gonna set up your movie for ya, go pick out which one you want."

"_Beauty and the Beast_! Yay!" Scout shouted down the hall as she disappeared into the den, Santana stopping momentarily to talk to Quinn.

"Hey," she called, Quinn looking up from placing the lemons in separate glass dishes. "You uh, you were joking about that whole tongue thing right?" Quinn laughed lowly to herself as she put the cutting board and knife into the sink, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she sighed.

"Maybe, maybe not, depends on how well you make it up to me." Santana's brows raised as Quinn winked, wanting to take her wife then and there on the counter but refraining.

"I'm-you-I'm gonna tear you apart later," Santana promised, pointing her finger at Quinn as the blonde bit her lip teasingly. "Really, it's on."

* * *

><p>"So, Tatum, tell us a little about yourself," Quinn smiled as she finished handing the older woman a glass of tea, the frizzy haired redhead taking the glass and whispering, 'Namaste' before taking a sip.<p>

Quinn and Santana were on their fourth interview, the Saturday having drifted by slowly as they met with various potential caregivers.

The first interview had been with Agnes, an elderly, frail woman in her early sixties who had arrived five minutes early in a wood paneled station wagon. She had long, grey hair that she kept in a tight bun and severe eyebrows that framed brown, piercing eyes, Santana even intimidated by the woman as she welcomed her into their home. Agnes, who dressed as if she had stepped out of a 1530's funeral, spoke of her background in the military serving as a nurse, declaring that she believed in punctuality, discipline, and structure. Quinn asked about her education and experience and Agnes had informed them that she held a degree in nursing and had plenty of experience with children, promising that no child under her watch would be left idle to cause chaos or trouble. Though both knew there was no way they'd be hiring her they allowed Scout to meet her, the little girl hiding behind her mother's legs until the woman left.

Next they met with Hazel, a plump Hispanic woman in her late thirties who arrived ten minutes late in a yellow PT Cruiser but brought her own cookies with her for the girls. She was a giggly, warm cushion of a woman, her bright, flowery print dress flowing behind her when she walked and her short chocolate curls bouncing every time she laughed. She explained that, while she had no children or certification, she spent many years taking care of her sister's children, having a passion for 'little ones' and even cooing when she met Scout, who had of course loved Hazel and her cookies. She went on and on about how she liked to have fun with the kids she watched, how she threw them big birthday parties that she always made the cakes for and they played games and loved to laugh. Santana asked about her current work and Hazel explained that she worked at a local restaurant and was looking for extra income, the second job making them both wonder if she would be available when needed.

The third interview had brought a sweet, pretty Catherine to their door, a fit blonde in her mid-twenties who was punctual and dressed professionally in black slacks and a white blouse. She was quiet but polite, a little stiff but informative, only speaking when asked a question and keeping her replies short and simple. She had a background in child psychology and a list of references and recommendations that even impressed Santana. She also had experience with kids as she had a daughter of her own, Quinn asking if watching Scout would interfere with her own daughter and Catherine insisting it was no problem. Scout had fallen asleep during her movie so she was unable to meet Catherine and ask her about her views on butterflies and debate about Disney princesses, the couple instead giving her a tour of the house where Catherine remarked in all the right times and places about what a lovely home they had. While she was great on paper Santana didn't feel she had any personality, their current interviewee Tatum having a little too much as they got acquainted.

"Well, I was born in the beautiful mountains of Nevado de Toluca down in Mexico," she began, looking off into the distance as she painted the women a picture. "Gorgeous horizon, bloody sunsets and pastel sunrises, mountain tops for days. Santana, surely you must know what I'm talking about?" Santana raised her brow as the older woman noted Santana's dark skin, the brunette crossing her arms as she furrowed her brow.

"I'm from Ohio."

"Right," Tatum said lightly, disinterested in Santana now as she continued on with her story. "Anyways, my mother had been hiking with my father when she went into labor about halfway through the journey. One minute they're praying to Soteria for safe passage and the next here I come barreling down my mother's birth canal.

"Wow," Quinn said politely, bringing her own glass of tea to her lips as she sipped.

"Vivid," Santana added, putting the cookie she was going to eat back down before leaning back in her seat.

"I know, I know, and ten centimeters and a handful of goat pee later there I was, screaming to the Gods of the wind and trees that here I was, I've arrived!" Quinn and Santana nodded as Tatum sipped her tea again, her bangled bracelets clinking together as her sun spotted arms moved.

"Hard to follow that up," Santana chuckled, Quinn nudging her as the blonde looked over her resume. "So Tatum, what kind of experience do you have with children? Any formal education or prior work?"

"Oh, tons of experience, no kids of my own but tons of experience in raising lives," Tatum nodded, pushing her frizzy waves of hair out of her face as she moved her legs to sit Indian-style. "I helped raise goats with a farmer I bunked with out in Montana. He owned a gorgeous bit of land, white snowy peaks…" As Tatum went on describing the Montana skyline, Santana got Quinn's attention and pointed to the spot on Tatum's resume that said, "Raised a farm of kids."

"I mean, technically she didn't lie," Santana snickered, Quinn fighting back a laugh as she returned her attention to Tatum.

"…I tell ya, there's nothing like pulling a life from another. Really getting your hands in there and just shifting through all the-"

"Well I think we have seen and heard enough," Quinn interrupted, Tatum pausing mid-sentence with her hand folded in a claw pose. "I think I heard Scout stirring from her nap in the den, would you like to meet her before you go?"

"Of course! Yes," Tatum cheered as she flashed them a yellow smile, following the girls down the hall as her tie-dyed skirt breezed behind her.

"Scout?" Quinn called, a bundle of blankets moving as Scout's head of blonde curls appeared. "We wanted you to meet Ms. Tatum before she left. Tatum, this is our daughter Scout."

"Oh, just look at this little bambina. Come here sweet pea, let me get a read on you," Tatum whispered, Scout crawling off the couch and walking towards them as she dragged her teddy bear behind her. "Oh she's just precious, little light! Just look!" Tatum went in for a hug and Scout reciprocated, wrinkling her nose as her cheek was scratched by Tatum's hair.

"How old are you now little Luna?" Tatum asked as she pulled away, Scout pulling her bear up to her face as she hid her mouth and nose behind it.

"Four, but I'll be five in a few weeks."

"Scout, honey put the toy down," Quinn insisted, pushing the bear away from Scout's face.

"But mommy, I can't," Scout insisted, placing the bear right back where it was as Quinn frowned.

"And why not?" Quinn asked, thinking Scout was playing some sort of game as she watched her daughter take a step back.

"Because, she smells like pee." Santana choked on her laughter as Quinn steered Tatum towards the hall, insisting that Scout was just being silly and chalking it up to resistance to change. Santana on the other hand offered Scout a high five and let the little girl climb onto her back, taking her on a piggyback ride to the kitchen where they met up with Quinn again.

"Scout, that was not nice," Quinn reprimanded, Santana sitting the little girl down on the counter as her wife walked over.

"But you always say to tell the truth," Scout reminded her, Santana hiding her head in the fridge as she pretended to look for something. "And the truth was that she stinks. Didn't you smell her?"

"I-well, yes," Quinn agreed, noting Santana's prolonged presence in the fridge and narrowing her eyes. "But I was being polite and not saying anything."

"Well, I wasn't gonna either, but then you tried to take Berry the Bear away, so I had to." Quinn sighed as she accepted defeat, able to make out low laughter from her wife and walking over to smack Santana's ass.

"Easy now, there are children," Santana called as she stood up. "I mean, at least wait till the kid is out of the room."

"And you," Quinn glowered, Santana putting her hands up as she shook her head. "We talked about you not encouraging her."

"I did no such thing," Santana pleaded, Quinn flashing her 'oh come on' stare as Santana grabbed Scout's juice. "If anything I did better, I actually hid my laughter."

"From who?" Quinn asked, the conversation cut short by the doorbell.

"Saved by the bell!" Scout squealed, lunging at Santana to catch her and grabbing her juice before Santana set her on the floor. Quinn was still glaring at Santana as the brunette turned toward her, Santana flashing her puppy dog eyes that Quinn ignored as she headed to answer the door.

"Babe, come on, I love you."

"Can you at least try to behave? This is the last interview we have," Quinn called behind her, both women walking toward the door to see Scout having already opened it and staring up at the person behind it.

"Scout, what did we say about answering the door?" Santana said loudly, Scout turning her attention to her mami as she shrugged.

"But I knew who it was gonna be!" she defended, Santana giving her a severe look as Quinn pulled the door open.

Behind it stood a tall, broad shouldered African American man, his head shaved bald and face clean shaven with the exception of the stubble on his chin. He was dressed in nice khakis and a button up blue shirt, Quinn noting how good he smelled. He looked to be early twenties, his brown eyes crinkling as he smiled a pearly white grin.

"Lopez-Fabray? Right?" he asked nervously, his voice deep as he looked between Quinn and Santana. "Or is it Fabray-Lopez? I knew I'd mess that up, I'm so sorry."

"No, no, Lopez-Fabray, you got," Quinn smiled, waving him to come in as she pulled Scout out of the way.

"Ok, great. I'm Julius, Julius Smith," he introduced, wiping his feet on the carpet as he extended his right arm for a firm handshake.

"I'm Quinn. This is my wife Santana and this little girl," Quinn smiled as she looked down at her daughter, rubbing her hands on Scout's shoulders as the smaller blonde looked up. "Is Scout."

"Ah, well then these are for you," Julius smiled, taking his left hand from behind his back and revealing a handful of daisies.

"What? For me!" Scout squealed, her jaw dropping as she used both hands to grab the bouquet. "Mommy, look! Mami, do you see?"

"Oh those are beautiful bug! What do you say?" Quinn prodded, Scout's face still shoved down in her flowers as she uttered a thank you. "We're gonna put these in water. San, why don't you take Julius to the living room?"

"Sure thing," Santana smiled, ushering Julius down the hall as they listened to Scout coo about her flowers from the kitchen. "First thing, smooth move with the flowers, you've totally got the kids' vote which shows you're smart."

"Honestly Mrs. Lopez-Fabray," Julius whispered, leaning in close as he spoke. "My mama always said it's rude to show up without something. I forgot halfway over, and the closest thing was a flower stand." Santana smiled as he put a finger to his lips, surprised by the honesty but appreciating it.

"Well you did good," she applauded. "And call me Santana, the other is a mouthful. Now I see there's a car outside, so you have your own transportation? A part of the job would be picking up Scout from school."

"Yes ma'am I do, I have my own transportation and a valid license," Julius explained as they entered the living room, taking a seat across from Santana and handing over his resume and recommendations as he nervously tapped his knee.

"And it's in good condition? Not a recalled death trap that's gonna hurtle my kid around?"

"No ma'am, she has a new battery and brake pads. And I've yet to be in a wreck too. Ah, wait," he said lowly, moving his knuckle to the wooden coffee table and knocking a few times. "Don't wanna jinx myself now." Santana smiled, thinking to herself that was something Scout would do, her eyes scanning the resume as she read off his history.

"Let's see…from Verona. Graduated with a degree in Early Childhood?" Santana asked. "My wife is gonna lose her shit over that."

"I did, yes ma'am," Julius nodded. "I was hoping to get a full time job in the classroom but the field is awfully flooded right now. I've got a para-pro position in a Pre-k class at Little Tykes, but I only work the morning class from 7 to 11. I thought about doing some substituting, just to get a foot in the door at different elementary schools, but this opportunity came along and frankly it's a much more steady position than that."

"I hear that," Quinn said as she entered the room, Santana briefly wondering where Scout was before she saw a flash of blonde hair dart past the living room entryway. "So Early Childhood? I teach myself."

"Really?" Julius asked in a genuine tone, leaning forward as he spoke again. "Where at?" Quinn answered and the conversation about the current school system and state of education began, Santana having sat through these types of dialogues her entire relationship with Quinn. While she wasn't particularly intrigued by the topic she loved to watch the way Quinn grew more and more passionate with every word, her head going back and forth as the two talked.

"…and it's beyond frustrating, trying to implement this ridiculous curriculum that doesn't meet the needs of any of the kids, you know?" Julius was saying, his wide hands balled into fists as he spoke. "It's just-all of these children learn differently, and the curriculum isn't structured in a way that it can be easily diversified. And don't even get me started on standardized testing." Quinn was staring at Julius with stars in her eyes, Santana swatting at the blonde's stomach before looking at Julius.

"Alright, so you got the blonde on your team, two for three Jules." Quinn dismissed Santana as she continued to peruse the young man's resume, the brunette leaning back in her chair as she thought of questions. "So with getting your degree you had to student teach, correct? Which means you've had experience with children?"

"Yes ma'am, ranging from Pre-K to upper elementary," Julius elaborated. "I also have nephews and nieces of my own from my brothers and sisters, so I know about childcare outside of the classroom. They're listed in my references. I know they say you shouldn't use family, but I think that's because people think your family will lie and say you can do all this stuff you can't. Trust me, my sister doesn't lie. If anything she's too honest about me, but if anyone knows about my character it's her." Santana nodded as she flicked through the recommendation letters, high praise coming from college professors and teaching advisors about Julius' punctuality, work ethic, and professionalism.

"Drink? Smoke?" Santana asked, Julius rubbing his hands together as he nodded. "I will admit to having a beer during a game or wine at dinner, but it isn't a habit, I don't drive under influence, and I don't have any records for it. I don't smoke though.

"You're also CPR certified?" Quinn asked as her voice peaked, her voice catching Santana's attention as she read the entry on his resume.

"Yes ma'am, had to be in order to student teach. I'm also experienced with distributing medicine and know how to handle emergency situations. You don't get thrown up on or pull a marble out of a kid's nose without learning a thing or two." Quinn looked over at her wife, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. Santana knew both her girls were in love, but she wanted to hear more first.

"Well, you can drive, have your own vehicle, license, and a college degree. You've worked with children, love children, and have a thorough knowledge of how to handle them," Santana recapped, Julius nodding along as he listened. "I know from her face that my wife loves you, and from Scout's hovering in the doorway she thinks you're nice-"

"Hey!" the little girl shouted, the three of them chuckling before Santana spoke again.

"Anyways, about the job itself; it would entail you getting Scout from day-care, bringing her back home for a snack and just keeping an eye out until we get home which is about 6:00 usually, depending on the day. Scout's day-care pick-up starts at 3:00 and all the kids have to be picked up by 6:00. I've been getting her around 5:30, but the kid isn't too fond of staying that late."

"Of course, understandable," Julius agreed.

"Now she starts Kindergarten in two weeks, and the release time would be 3:15, so there wouldn't be a window. We were thinking we'd like to get her on a schedule of getting picked up at a certain time every day, so that when school started she'd be in a rhythm. So is 3:15 to about 6:00 something you could swing?"

"Absolutely, yes ma'am," Julius answered confidently. "Like I said, I do work in the mornings doing some para-proing but I always leave at 11:00 and can always be on time to get Scout.

"Great, I mean I think," Quinn said as she turned to Santana, looking over her wife's face as she searched for a reaction. "Everything sounds great. And we stated that the pay is of course negotiable, but we were thinking we could start at $17 an hour?"

"We'd cover gas too for going back and forth to get Scout," Santana added.

"Wow, that all sounds wonderful," Julius nodded enthusiastically, Quinn waiting for Santana to say something affirmative.

"I'll be honest, you're…you're probably the best candidate we've seen," Santana admitted, Quinn biting her lip as her hands gripped the hem of her dress. "But I would like to call some of your references, just to get a total picture of you."

"Absolutely, I totally understand," Julius agreed. Santana tried to think of something else to ask, knowing she should have taken Quinn up on the offer to Google 'questions for interviews'.

"Scout, would you like to come ask your questions now?" Quinn called, Scout running into the room with a pink sheet of construction paper and pen as she hopped up in Santana's lap.

"Yes, thank you. Now, Julius, first question: how do you feel about cupcakes?"

"I support them, but in my opinion the chocolate ones are the best," he said softly with a wink, Scout's mouth opening as she squealed.

"Me too! Ok," she nodded, using her yellow bumblebee pen to place a check beside the question. "Question two: who's your favorite princess?"

"Well, let me think," Julius sighed as he rubbed his chin, looking up towards the ceiling as he thought. "I've gotta give my girl Tiana props. She opened her own restaurant and that's insane. But I also really like Belle. She likes to read a lot and so do I."

"Me too!" Scout repeated, this time in a higher octave as she checked the second question off. "And finally: how do you feel about stickers?"

"My motto is the more the better," he said casually, as if it was a commonly known fact that everyone should be in on.

"Mami, can we keep him?" Scout asked as she turned to face Santana, Julius grinning ear to ear as Santana rubbed the top of her head.

"Well I think you survived the torture portion," she said with a smile, scooting Scout out of her lap as she stood. "We'll check out some of those references, weigh it out, and get back to you soon ok? Scout, let's walk him to the door."

"Ok!" Scout cheered, grabbing Julius' hand as she led him towards the door.

"Well?" Quinn whispered in Santana's ear as they followed, squeezing Santana's elbow as she looked over. "Perfect right?"

"Can we at least get him out of the house before you lunge into attack?" Santana mumbled back, the four of them reaching the door as they said their goodbyes.

"We'll be in touch," Quinn smiled, Scout still waving as the door closed behind Julius.

There was a moment of silence as Scout and Quinn turned back around to face Santana, the brunette bracing herself for impact as they both began speaking frantically.

"San, he's perfect!"

"He brought me flowers!"

"He's so smart and experienced, which is exactly what we both wanted!

"He likes cupcakes mami! And Belle! You know how much I like Belle!

Santana let them go back and forth for another moment before bringing her hands up and snapping them closed to signal their silence, both her blonde's halting mid-sentence as the brunette spoke.

"I hear you, I do. Yes, he was everything we're looking for, and yes he's pretty much perfect. However; I would still like to call his references. Will he get the job, more than likely-"

"Yes!"

"-but let me do my investigating, ok?" Quinn and Scout nodded simultaneously before Santana turned to clean up the living room, the blonde's high fiving each other before joining her. Both were caught up in excitement, Scout thrilled for a new playmate and Quinn ecstatic about the extra help, that neither could fathom at that moment the darkness the new position would bring.


	4. Chapter 4

The biggest and most sincere thanks for the continued support, I love writing this story and I'm glad you're enjoying reading it!

As for the prior chapter, I did not mean to offend or upset any readers, and I sincerely apologize that I did so. I am continually learning to be more aware of representation in my writing and presenting characters that are accurate and not a stereotype, so thank you for pointing the problem out and helping to make me a better writer and person.

Also, obligatory disclaimer, this chapter is rated M for smut, because hot Quinntana!mommy sex for life!

Please enjoy!

* * *

><p>"…and you know where the school is, right? You got the address I texted you? Ok, just checking. I e-mailed it too, just in case the text failed or something."<p>

Quinn laid in bed filing her nails, listening as Santana reviewed, for the thirteenth time, Julius' plan to pick up Scout the following day, the brunette leaving a pattern in the carpet as she paced in the spot over and over.

"Right, you take that first left once you turn on Greenbriar," Santana explained, chewing her own nail down to the quick as she listened to Julius relay the directions.

Their new babysitter had been over that weekend to spend some time getting to know Scout, Quinn suggesting the play date for Scout's benefit but actually calling for the meeting as to get Santana adjusted, her wife having driven her mad the days following their decision to hire Julius.

"Now her car seat, it's still buckled in and everything?" Quinn heard Santana ask, chuckling to herself as she shaped her pinky nail. Quinn had given Julius the car seat from her vehicle so he could pick Scout up in the afternoons, Santana keeping hers so she could still drop Scout off. Quinn had suggested they merely pick up another for Julius but Santana had declined, hesitant to make any purchase or decision that furthered solidified Julius' presence in their life.

"And you have all the numbers right? The cells and work ones? Let me give you mine again just to be sure." Quinn watched as Santana poked at the air as she gave her work extension to Julius again, shaking her head and wondering how Julius could put up with it. She loved her wife more than anything but sometimes the brunette went beyond overboard, Santana drilling Julius to repeat the numbers back to her before finally hanging up.

"What?" Santana asked as she turned around from her spot, noting Quinn's amused expression and crossing her arms.

"Oh nothing honey, just thinking about how much I love you," Quinn answered, Santana rolling her eyes as she waved a hand.

"I'm just-I'm just making sure everything is settled and ready, ok? I mean I did agree to let him watch Scout, the least you can let me do is plan it out."

"You do whatever you need to in order to feel comfortable," Quinn smiled sweetly. "Just remember this the next time you're about to call me neurotic."

"Well that's different," Santana disagreed, slipping off her bath robe as she tossed it on the desk chair. "I'm neurotic about our daughter. You're neurotic about things that don't matter."

"Untrue!" Quinn fought back as she pointed a now perfectly manicured finger as her wife, Santana pressing her lips to the finger as she joined the blonde in bed.

"I love you babe, but you once fussed at me for organizing the bookshelf wrong."

"Because, San, why wouldn't you put Harry Potter in chronological order? I mean it just doesn't make sense," Quinn defended, Santana merely staring at her wife as she settled in.

"Alright Q, alright." Quinn switched to working on her other hand as Santana rested back against her pillows, putting her hands behind her head as her mind raced. "Lunch is packed, backpack's ready, Julius has directions, and you called and gave the school the approval."

"Check, check, and check," Quinn agreed. "I also left Angela a message too. I figured we should just keep her updated with any changes with Scout."

Angela Moore was the couple's slightly spazztic case worker, having assisted the women diligently, and anxiously, throughout the entire process of their adoption. She was a tiny waif of a woman, thin and bony, her skin always glistening in sweat and breaths always ragged from her prolonged speeches about updates in the system and new codes. She had frizzy graying brown hair that always fascinated Scout and watery grey eyes that always seemed dilated, her appearance reflective of her sporadic manner. While always a bit frazzled, and delayed in returning messages and calls, she had worked overtime to help the girls adopt Scout, the two of them forever grateful for their crazed case worker.

"Sounds good," Santana winked, resting her head only momentarily before continuing to work through the next day. "Now there shouldn't be much traffic at that time, so they should get back here without any problems or delays."

"Oh crap San, we did forget something," Quinn spoke up, the thought hitting her as she listened along to the brunette's recap.

"What? What?" Santana asked frantically, shooting up in bed as her eyes widened.

"A key, for Julius," Quinn pointed out. "He and Scout won't be able to get into the house tomorrow."

"Shit," Santana mumbled, chewing her bottom lip as she thought. "What if we leave yours with her teacher tomorrow? Give her a note to pass it on to Julius? We'll all be home before you to let you in."

"That should probably work," Quinn agreed. "We'll need to make him one for the future though."

"Ehhh," Santana grumbled, Quinn looking over as Santana shook her head. "I don't know, that weirds me out."

"Oh come on San," Quinn groaned, rolling her eyes as she tossed her nail file on her bedside table. "First the car seat and now the key? We're giving him our child for the afternoons, and yet it's stuff that you want to draw the line?"

"The car seat I can bend on, alright? And the kid we get back at the end of every day, the key, to our home, we won't," Santana pointed out, Quinn still not buying it as she stared through her wife. "Haven't I been good about the other stuff? Can't you just throw me this one?"

"Fine, we'll send the key through the teacher every day, I just think it's a needless hassle," Quinn shrugged. They sat in silence for another moment, Quinn adjusting the comforter as Santana tapped her fingers.

"Fine, we'll get him a key made," Santana spoke up, Quinn smiling as she rolled towards her wife.

"Aw, there's the rational woman I married," Quinn cooed, cozying up to her wife as she rested her head on Santana's chest and her right hand on the brunette's stomach. "See, you can be sensible."

"Yeah, yeah," Santana grumbled as Quinn tilted her mouth up and pressed light kisses down her jaw. "I don't know, I'm just anxious still. I know logically everything is ready and settled, I'm just worried that the one thing I haven't prepared for will happen."

"San, Julius is beyond educated and experienced," Quinn whispered, pushing herself to sit up as she gave her mouth full access to Santana's ear. "And with how nervous we've, _you've_, made him, there is no way he'll let anything happen to Scout."

"I know, I know," Santana sighed as Quinn's lips yanked on the bottom of her ear, the blonde's hand trailing down the brunette's body and fingers pushing at the hem of her wife's shorts. "It's just me, I'm imagining all the things that could possibly go wrong without me there to prevent them."

"Then stop imagining total disaster and imagine this," Quinn purred as her fingers stroked Santana's clit through her lace underwear, the sudden contact causing the brunette to jerk as she hissed.

"I know…what you're…trying to do," Santana got out between ragged breaths, the way Quinn's tongue flicked her ear and fingers caressed her clit dulling her thoughts and words.

"Mmm, what's that?" Quinn asked lowly before biting the lower part of her wife's ear, Santana's eyes closing and mouth left gaping open as the blonde's finger's worked the now throbbing bundle of nerves.

"You're trying to-_fuck_," Santana hissed as she arched her back, Quinn slipping her hand under the lace in one swift motion as her fingers made direct contact with Santana's clit. "To di-distract me."

"I am?" Quinn asked innocently as she quickened her pace, Santana grabbing a handful of sheets with her left hand as she nodded. "Why on earth would I wanna do a thing like that?"

"To shu-_fuck Quinn_," Santana growled as the blonde lightly pinched her swollen bud, Quinn using her other hand to grip the headboard and steady them as a tremor of pleasure jolted Santana. "Shut me _uh_-up."

"Oh babe, come on," Quinn smiled teasingly, still massaging Santana's clit expertly as she moved to sit on her knees. "You know if I wanna shut you up I just have to do this." Quinn moved her hand down and slid two fingers between Santana's slick folds, entering her wife smoothly as she began pumping her fingers into the brunette's sweet spot. Santana responded with a howl as she spread her legs wider, finally opening her eyes and looking over to see her wife grinning.

"I fuck-fucking hate yo-you," Santana panted, Quinn giggling as she leaned down and placed a kiss on the brunette's lips. She slid her thumb over Santana's clit to return attention to the heated spot once more, her wife groaning into her mouth as Quinn increased her pressure and speed. Santana released her hold on the sheets and moved her hand over to Quinn's chest, which was prominently displayed in front of her, yanking down the material of the tank top and exposing the blonde's breasts as her mouth enveloped a nipple.

Quinn's rhythm sputtered momentarily as she gasped sharply, the sudden feel of Santana's warm tongue lapping at her nipple hardening the pink bud. Santana grinned against Quinn's skin before biting down, Quinn slamming her fingers inside of Santana roughly in response as the brunette yelped in pleasure.

"You can't ever just let me be in charge, can you?" Quinn asked hazily as she resumed driving her fingers into Santana gruffly, the brunette pulling her mouth away as a series of piercing whines escaped her lips.

"No _fucking_ way," Santana managed to answered between hurried breaths, jerking Quinn towards her for a hungry kiss as her walls clinched around Quinn's fingers to bring her in deeper. As she massaged her lips into Quinn's her right hand snaked around the blonde's body as Santana clawed at her wife's backside, pulling down Quinn's pajama shorts as much as she could and smacking her ass before grabbing her left cheek. The sudden sting made Quinn shriek in delight as she broke their kiss, wiggling her ass from left and right as she giggled. Her wife's little show sent Santana over the edge as she began bucking against Quinn's hand, grinding her clit into the blonde's thumb as she felt her body approach orgasm. Her lower stomach tingled with the knowing warm feeling as it spread throughout, using her legs to roll herself into Quinn's thrusts as she released guttural moans.

"Yeah, come on baby, show me how hard you can cum for me," Quinn enticed, resuming her verbal teasing of Santana as the brunette writhed against her fingers. She moved her other hand that had been gripping the head board to steady herself down to Santana's shirt, pulling it up to reveal Santana's bouncing breasts. She grabbed the left and moved her mouth to it, locking eyes with Santana as she circled the tip of her tongue around the brunette's rigid nipple.

"Fuckfuck_fuuuck_," Santana hollered as she leaned her head back, her feet digging into the mattress and pushing her lower half up as she rose off the mattress. Quinn could feel her body beginning to spasm and slid a third finger in before biting down on Santana's nipple, a scream piercing the air as Santana orgasmed.

Her body thrashed erratically as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over her, Quinn still swirling her fingers inside of Santana and sucking her nipples as she brought her down from her climax. The brunette lay still as she caught her breath and watched spots decorated her vision, moving her eyes a moment later to watch as Quinn removed her fingers from between her legs and suck them dry.

"You're a little minx, you know that?" Santana finally whispered as Quinn moved to straddle her, resting herself on top of the brunette's still trembling stomach as she smiled proudly.

"I just want to help you relax, that's all," Quinn played off innocently, grinding her lower body into Santana as she leaned down for a kiss.

"Mmmhm, I'm sure," Santana said against Quinn's mouth, the blonde's tongue cutting her off as it slipped between her wife's lips. Santana pressed her hands against Quinn's hips as she rocked the blonde against her, Quinn releasing soft moans as she gripped the sheets to balance herself. "But now it's my turn."

Quinn squealed as Santana flipped them over quickly, the two of them losing themselves in their sheets as Santana re-payed Quinn. Twice.

* * *

><p>"Now, Julius will be there to pick you up right after school. You make sure you buckle yourself in before he leaves the parking lot."<p>

"Yes mami."

"And I'm going to give Ms. Grant the key to the house, and then she's going to give it to Julius. Make sure she gives it to him, ok?"

"Right mami."

"Or else you and Julius will be stuck in the yard. And don't scream or yell while he drives. I know you're excited but he needs to focus on the road."

"Ok mami."

Santana looked up in her rear view mirror to see her daughter swinging her feet back and forth as she watched the buildings pass outside her window, the two of them on their way to Scout's school. Santana had been trying to remind her four year old about the important day, the information seeming to go through one Minnie Mouse ear ringed ear and out the other.

"Scout, are you listening?" Santana asked, Scout sighing before turning her head from the window and holding her hand up.

"Seat belt," Scout said as she held one finger up. "Keys, no giggles." She waved three fingers for each topic at her mother, Santana chuckling as she nodded.

"Basically." They rode for a few more minutes before reaching Scout's school, Santana parking her vehicle and getting out to remove Scout as they continued to discuss the day.

"Now, when you get home, don't try to trick Julius into giving you cookies," Santana said sternly, Scout sticking out her bottom lip as she pushed open the door to her daycare. "Because one becomes two which becomes three and then your appetite for dinner is spoiled and mommy is mad at me."

"But mami, I love cookies," Scout whined, dragging her pink glittery slippered feet as Santana guided them down the colorfully decorated hall.

"I know," Santana nodded, reaching Scout's class and stopping to kneel down. "Which is why I snuck two in your lunch."

"Mami! You're the best!" Scout squealed, lunging herself at Santana as the brunette wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"I know. So you can get your cookie fix at lunch, alright? Snack on those apples mommy got you for a snack when you get home."

"Fine, but I don't know what I'm gonna tell this guy," Scout sighed, grabbing her tummy through her purple shirt and squeezing it with her small hands. "You know he's a cookie monster who needs four cookies a day."

"Four, huh? I thought it was three?" Santana asked as she arched a brow, Scout shrugging as she wiggled her belly around.

"He's a growing boy, mami, he needs those cookies," Scout explained casually, Santana smirking before lifting Scout's shirt and blowing a raspberry on her belly button. "Mami! Mami stop!"

"There, maybe that'll calm him down," Santana nodded, pulling Scout's shirt down and tapping her nose before taking her in to her class.

She left explicit instructions to Scout's teacher about how the afternoon should play out, repeating them again for her own reassurance. She gave Scout another squeeze before leaving the little girl to her drawing of a unicorn, forcing herself to leave and chewing on her nails as she headed to her Jeep.

* * *

><p>The next few hours passed slowly, Santana checking her clock to see time ticking by slowly. She spent her lunch break on the phone with Quinn, her wife reassuring her to relax and Santana theorizing scenarios with no chance of happening. In most cases it was Santana who would have to be the one calming Quinn's nerves, the shoes only changing when it came to their daughter. Quinn, who had grown up under the thumb of an overbearing and overprotective mother, had vowed to raise their daughter opposite of her own upbringing, always thinking situations over logically and objectively before jumping. Santana on the other hand had no filter for her own emotions, always jumping the gun as she tried her best to protect their little girl.<p>

Santana was in the middle of speaking to Claude on her work phone, the head of the company Je Désire that had agreed to let the magazine Santana worked for feature his new clothing line, when her cell phone jingled, the brunette looking over to see the alarm she had set for Scout's release time going off.

"Claude, listen honey, I gotta let you go. Yeah, something has come up, but I'll call you back soon alright?" she rushed, clicking her work phone off as she grabbed her cell. She dismissed the alarm before scrolling through her contacts, finding Julius' number and pausing. She knew he wouldn't have Scout yet, so she decided to do a countdown, killing a minute by looking around the room before clicking Julius' number. His phone rang four times before going to his voice mail, Santana worrying as she heard his voice prompt her to leave a message.

"Hey Julius, its Santana," she began, having risen from the stool she'd been sitting on to work as she paced around the counter. "I was just calling to see if you'd gotten Scout yet. I know school literally just got out, but I just wanted to check. I know that parking lot can be chaos sometimes." She rambled on for another minute before telling him to call her back soon, ending the call and standing in the middle of the room as her hand rested on her hips. Julius was probably still in the midst of getting Scout from class or getting her adjusted in her seat, Santana knowing her daughter was probably slowing the process down with her chatter and need to point out the different birds in the sky.

She decided to wait for him to call and resumed looking through photographs of potential designs they could use in the magazine, trying to determine which ones would look best but getting distracted by her cell phone. Another five minutes clicked by and Santana was back on the line, Julius' cell directing her to his voice mail once more.

"Hey, it's me-again. I'm not trying to pester you, just making sure you got the key to the house from Scout's teacher. Let me know how you guys are doing, alright? Thanks again." Santana hung up with a sigh as she chunked her phone on a pile of pictures, running her fingers through her hair as she released a moan. She knew, logically, that everything was probably fine, but the portion of her brain that made her paranoid had gone into overdrive, Santana trying her best to shake away any worries as she paced.

"You're just freaking yourself out, stop worrying," she mumbled out loud, deciding to go to the bathroom to kill time until Julius would call again.

One quick pee and forced long walk down the hall, Santana returned to see she had no missed calls. She released a frustrated breath as she tapped her hell, grabbing the phone and redialing Julius. Again, she received his voice mail, her tone more agitated as she spoke.

"I know I keep calling but I'd really like to just make sure everything is ok," she said quickly, trying to reel in her aggravation but not succeeding. "Please get back to me soon and let me know you guys made it home. Thanks." She hung up and stared at the screen, as if her glaring would magically change the scene of trees into an Incoming Call screen.

She debated a text before shaking her head, opening up her contacts and clicking around until she found the one she wanted.

"Hi San."

"Julius won't call me back."

"Well good afternoon to you too my love," Quinn said with a snort, Santana scoffing as she shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Julius won't call me back."

"San," Quinn sighed, the brunette hearing shuffling on the other end before her wife spoke. "Leave him alone."

"I just want to make sure he got the key and Scout and that they're home ok!" the brunette defended as her wife snorted.

"He's probably fighting traffic to get out of the parking lot, or still in the car driving with her, or trying to get her settled at the house. He'll call when he can, ok? Relax."

"Don't tell me to relax, you know I hate that," Santana snapped, staring out a window as she watched a squirrel run up a tree. "I'd just like to be kept up to speed, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing hun, but that would mean Julius would have to be left alone long enough with Scout for something to happen so he could update you about it." Santana remained silent as she nibbled at a hangnail, turning around from her window as she walked towards her desk. "San everything is fine, ok?"

"How do you know?" Santana pouted, Quinn snickering as she spoke.

"Because I have faith in our decision to hire a highly experienced, educated, and qualified child care provider. Now, I have to start my tutoring ok? I love you, I'll see you later."

"Hey Q," Santana called, Quinn whispering a hmm as the brunette grinned. "What color panties are you wearing?"

"Ok, Puck," Quinn groaned, Santana frowning at the comparison.

"Come on, I'm stressed, you can at least give me something to take my mind off of it," she tried to plead.

"Last night didn't already do that?" Quinn asked, a smile spreading across Santana's face as she recalled their evening.

"Oh no it helps, but the memory is blurring."

"San, children are walking towards the library as we speak."

"Red?"

"And I don't get paid to be provocative in front of them."

"Black?"

"Jesus," Quinn sighed, Santana chuckling as she rested her elbows on her table.

"Oh please, you love it," Santana teased, hearing chatter rise from the background as Quinn's students arrived. "It feels naughty and it gets you going, don't lie."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Purple."

"No. Not red, or black, or purple. Why?" she asked, her voice lowering as she whispered. "Because I'm not wearing any. Bye now." Santana's brows rose as she felt a tingle in her lower stomach, smiling as she pulled her phone away.

She checked her clock and saw she'd managed to kill another four minutes, pursing her lips together and opening and closing them as he thought of what to do, as if she didn't have an endless to do list. Santana was just about to dial Julius again when his name appeared for an incoming call, Santana dropping the phone in excitement as she scrambled to pick it up.

"Hello?" she answered frantically, realizing her tone and trying to calm it down. "Hey, hello, Julius?"

"Hi Mrs. Santana, how are you?" Julius greeted her politely, Santana listening intently as she heard Scout gibbering in the background and feeling relief wash her over her. "Sorry I missed your calls, I just didn't feel comfortable driving and talking on the phone with Scout in the car."

"Oh, no, Julius that's-that's fine," Santana smiled. "I didn't mean to-I just…" Julius laughed on his end as he assured her she was fine, recapping picking Scout, and the key, up from school.

"We just stepped in the door. Do you wanna talk to Scout?" he asked, Santana hearing Scout answer yes for her as the phone scratched.

"Hi mami, how are you?"

"I'm good baby, how are you?" Santana asked, relaxing on her stool as her body filled with ease.

"I'm great! Julius said after our snack that we can play Beauty and the Beast! I finally have a friend big enough to be the beast!" Scout informed her happily.

"That's great love," Santana cheered, hearing Julius asking Scout from the background what kind of juice she wanted.

"Mmm apple. Oh and mami, guess what? Michael Porter brought his snake for show and tell, and it was cold and wriggly and kept sticking its tongue out at everyone."

"Wow, that's creepy," Santana awed, Scout slurping her juice box before continuing.

"Yeah, it was. Mommy would not have liked him," she stated in a matter-of-factly tone. "But I did. He was green and his name was Alabama."

"What a funny name for a snake huh?"

"I know. Well I gotta go now mami, I have to set up the castle for Julius."

"Ok baby, have fun. You guys be careful. I love you, and I'll see you soon."

"Alright mami, love you! Bye!" Scout squealed, her voice fading as the phone was passed back to Santana.

"Is there anything you need me to do while I'm here?" Julius asked once he was back on the line.

"No, everything's fine. Have fun. Call me though if you need anything alright?"

"Will do. See you later Mrs. Santana." The call ended and Santana spun herself around on her stool, feeling a bit ridiculous for panicking. Feeling more at ease, she adjusted herself on the stool and forced herself back to work, looking through photos and narrowing her decision down.

It wasn't long though before her mind got the best of her, paranoid thoughts about a left on stove or unlocked door trickling in. Rationally she could dismiss them but emotionally they irked her, Santana calling Julius three more times in a span of thirty minutes as she thought of something else that could go wrong. Julius, remaining polite each time, kept Santana up to speed on Scout's movements, chronicling their afternoon of Barbie dolls and bumblebee drawings.

Finally, at half past four, Santana had had enough and left early, informing the head of her department that she wasn't feeling well and slipping out. She drove home quickly and jogged up her driveway, opening the door to hear silence.

"Julius?" she called out as she set her keys and purse down. "Scout?" Her voice bounced off of the high ceilings as it echoed, Santana passing by the entryway to the kitchen and peering in to see it empty. "Guys?" She checked the living room and den, her stomach twisting as she walked towards Scout's room.

She opened the door to find Scout's room clean, no sign of either of them. She looked around and was about to head upstairs when she heard a loud giggle. Santana stopped and listened, Julius' low voice guiding her towards the window where she found the two sitting outside. Santana peered out Scout's window and covered her mouth as she laughed, Julius and Scout in the middle of a tea party. They were sitting at Scout's princess table, Scout in her Sleeping Beauty chair and Julius on his knees, two times the size of the small furniture. They both were wearing crowns and feather boas, Scout pouring pretend tea into Julius teacup as the large man, with pinky out, thanked her graciously and took a sip.

Santana's anxiety slipped away and was instead replaced with embarrassment and guilt, backing away from the window and not alerting the two to her presence. She instead headed into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea, sitting down at the kitchen table as she kicked herself for panicking. She decided she'd skip over telling Quinn she came home early, in no mood to see her wife arch her brow and flash her "I told you so" face.

A few minutes later Santana heard the back door in the den open, Scout's voice echoing as she giggled and spoke quickly.

"…and I told her she couldn't be the pink fairy because I am always the pink fairy, so then she started to cry."

"Oh no, what'd you do?" Julius asked, their voices becoming louder as they headed for the kitchen.

"I let her be the pink fairy. I mean I'm cuter in pink, but I didn't want her to cry. 'Sides, I'm pretty cute in purple too." They entered the kitchen and Scout, upon seeing her mother, ran screaming towards her, jumping into Santana's lap as she began recapping her afternoon.

"Well I'm glad you and Julius had so much fun," Santana smiled, Scout swaying back and forth as she hummed.

"I personally had a blast," Julius added. "I mean I learned so much about Belle and how to dress Barbie's. I'm gonna blow my nieces away next time I see them." Santana laughed and Scout flashed Julius a big grin, launching herself from Santana's lap to grab the drawings she and Julius had done.

"I want to apologize for this afternoon," Santana spoke up once Scout disappeared, Julius waving her off as she continued. "No, really, I was a pain in the ass. I know you're qualified and experienced, and it isn't that I doubted you-"

"Mrs. Santana, really, I understand," Julius comforted. "My sister was the same way with my niece the first time I watched her alone. At least you don't do drive-bys to make sure the house wasn't on fire." Santana snorted as she adjusted in her seat, Julius leaning against the counter as he crossed his arms. "Really, it's ok. It takes time, I get that. And I promise, I'll do everything in my power to take care of Scout."

"Well thank you." A moment of silence passed before Santana moved to stand, an idea coming to her as she grabbed her now empty tea cup. "Would you want to stay for dinner? I wouldn't expect you to watch Scout or anything, but it could at least be my way of making up for pestering you?"

"I'd like that," Julius nodded, Scout re-entering the room with an armful of drawings.

"Hey Scout, Julius is gonna stay for dinner, what should we make him?" Santana asked, Scout releasing a piercing howl as she frantically set her artwork down.

"Chicken nuggets! We have to make the chicken nuggets!" she answered, running to the fridge and opening the freezer door.

"So we're going for fine artisanal fare I see," Santana said as Scout grabbed the bag of Fun Nuggets, tossing them up to her mother before grabbing Julius and taking him into the den.

Quinn arrived home and the four had dinner, Scout animatedly recounting her day as they all listened and laughed. The little girl then insisted she instruct Julius on how to play Candy Land, walking him step by step through the first game before the group played another three. Julius helped Quinn do the dishes afterwards while Santana bathed Scout, the little girl insisting Julius help her mother's tuck her in.

"Just for tonight, let's skip the story," Quinn was negotiating, Scout sitting with her arms crossed in her bed as she frowned. "Honey Julius probably wants to go to home, he's been here for a long time now."

"But I love him," Scout pouted.

"I know, and you'll see him tomorrow where you guys can read all the books you want. But for now it's getting late ok?" Scout seemed to think it over before sighing dramatically and falling back against her blankets, Santana rolling her eyes as Julius stifled a laugh.

"Fine, but can I get two stories tomorrow night?"

"We'll see squirt," Santana whispered, leaning down to kiss the smaller blonde as she pulled her covers up. "I love you."

"Not a squirt, mami," Scout corrected, sticking her finger up at Santana and reminding the brunette of Quinn.

"Alright, I love you Scout," Quinn said as she took her turn, Scout wrapping her arms around her mother's head as she kissed her forehead.

"You too mommy." Julius stepped forward last and leaned down, him and Scout bumping knuckles before he pecked her cheek.

"Later gator."

"After 'while, crocodile." They pulled her door shut and Julius departed, Quinn and Santana waving to him from their front door before Santana locked it back.

"Well, can you believe it?" Quinn asked, leaning her body against the wall as Santana looked over.

"Believe what?"

"Scout's alive, I mean he didn't kidnap or kill her! It's a miracle!" Quinn answered, noticing Santana's glare and fighting off a laugh.

"Ha ha, you're so funny."

"Aw, come on, just say the words and I'll leave you alone," Quinn teased, moving towards Santana as her hands moved to run over the brunette's arms.

"What words? Quinn stop!" Santana insisted, her skin tingling as Quinn lightly tickled her.

"That I was right, that I told you. Admit the truth and I'll leave you alone."

"I'll do no such thing," Santana resisted, trying to turn away as Quinn's increased pressure.

"Fine, you'll suffer the consequences," the blonde warned, darting her hands to Santana's sides as she pressed her fingers into them.

"Quinn! Quinn!" Santana laughed, trying to run as her wife continued to tickle her.

Down the hall, Scout, who was counting the stars on her ceiling to help her fall asleep, heard a strange rustling outside her window. She turned her head towards the window, seeing a shadow move past. She almost shouted for her parents before noticing a heart stuck on her window, sliding off her covers as she stood. She wiped her eyes as she walked across her room, reaching her window and pressing her finger against the glass. The sticker, which was a heart with a smiley face in the middle, was stuck on the outside of the window, Scout smiling as she rubbed her finger over the glass.

Suddenly a pale face appeared in front of Scout's, the sudden image startling Scout as she fell on her backside with a shriek. She crawled backwards as the face disappeared, Santana and Quinn bounding into the room as the picked their screaming daughter up from the floor.

"Scout, baby what? What happened?" Quinn asked as she rocked the little girl in her arms, Santana running her hands over Scout's legs as she looked for a bruise or bite. Scout released a series of inaudible cries and screams, her face red and cheeks soaked as she pointed a shaking finger at her window.

"Did you have a bad dream baby?" Santana asked, knowing Scout couldn't have fallen asleep within the minute they'd been gone.

"Saw…a monster...outside," Scout was finally able to answer, burying her head in Quinn's neck as she sobbed.

"Oh darlin' I'm so sorry," Quinn soothed, rubbing her hands up and down Scout's back as she kissed her head. "Come on, let's go sleep in mommy's bed ok? Mami is gonna make sure the monster is gone."

"Of course I am," Santana agreed, having practiced this routine a few times before when Scout had been scared. It was usually the Cooper's dog digging through the bushes under Scout's window or a few neighborhood teenagers running around at night, Santana still a little on edge by Scout's reaction. She instead decided to skip looking under the bed or in the closet and headed for Scout's window, opening the latch and pushing it up before peering out.

The wind blew her hair as she looked around the backyard that she shared with the houses next door, not seeing any movement or hearing anything strange. She leaned down to run her hand through the bushes under the window before deciding there was nothing to be found, closing and locking the window back before heading upstairs.

Meanwhile, Julius had crawled into his own car and started the engine, halting momentarily to text his roommate he was heading home before shifting into drive. He pulled out of the Lopez-Fabray's driveway and headed down the street, reflecting on his afternoon with sweet little Scout when a figure darted out in front of his car.

"Shit!" he shouted in surprise before slamming on his brakes, swerving the car to the right as he ran over the curb. He shut his car off frantically and sat stunned in his seat, trying to grip what had just happened. His mind raced as he tried to calm down, remembering the reason he'd driven onto the curb and moving quickly to exit his car.

As he stepped on to the road he glanced at the front of his car, not seeing any damage and sighing in relief. He then looked over and could see a figure illuminated under the streetlight, sitting in the middle of the road. They appeared to be sitting up straight and didn't move or cry as if they were hurt, Julius jogging closer as he moved to help.

"Are you ok?" he shouted, praying to God he hadn't injured someone. As he finally reached the figure he could make out that it was a woman, breathing heavy with her hand on her chest. "Ma'am, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered between deep breaths, Julius unable to make out much of her face.

"I didn't mean to-did I hit you?" Julius asked, kneeling down as the woman steadied her breathing.

"No, just missed me," she answered, Julius sighing as he reached out to her.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you. Where did you even come from?" The woman paused as she moved to stand up, her new position catching the streetlight as it illuminated her head. Julius could just make out a ponytail but not much else, the woman still silent as she brushed her knees off.

"I was just...out for a jog. Its cooler at night," she finally answered, Julius nodding as he looked around.

"Look I'm really sorry, I-would you like me to take you home or something?" he offered, trying to think of some way to apologize for almost nailing her with his car. "My name is Julius, by the way, and again I am so-"

"Julius," she repeated as she snapped her head towards him, stepping closer as she took him in. He couldn't see her eyes but by the way her head was facing he guessed she was looking him over, stepping even closer into the light so that Julius could now see her smile form. "That's an unusual name. Not one you hear often."

"Yeah, belonged to my grandfather first," Julius answered, the sudden shift in her demeanor odd, but he was more than glad to talk about anything but almost running her over.

"Well I think I might take that offer for a ride home," she said as her smile widened, Julius nodding as he walked her back to his car.

"Of course, and again, I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry Julius," she soothed. "I'm sure we'll find a way for you to make it up to me."


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, finally back with an update. Loved the reviews from the last chapter, and I am, as always, very appreciative of them.

I know I've been dangling the identity of Scout's stalker throughout the chapters, but that all will be revealed in chapter seven. For now here's chapter five, hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Just a little higher. Almost. Almost. Wait! Too high, too-down a hair. Almost. Almost."<p>

"Quinn, I swear to God-"

"Almost San, just-not that far down! Now you have to go back up a smidge." Santana blew a stream of air through her lips as she tried to move her sweaty bangs from her eyes, the orange streamer in her hands becoming flimsy as it stuck to her clammy fingers.

The Lopez-Fabrays were in the middle of decorating for Scout's 5th birthday party, the day having arrived in a flash. The little girl, who would officially be five at 4:37 pm that afternoon, had chosen a butterfly birthday party, their house covered in glittery orange, pink, and yellow balloons, streamers, confetti, and banners. Quinn had of course taken the lead on decorating and planning, the cake looking like something from one of Martha Stewart's wet dreams and everything themed and matching down to the plastic spoons and napkins. Santana, who had been in charge of hanging and putting out the decorations, was in the middle of perfectly placing the last streamer in a tree branch, her and Quinn having battled over the perfect spacing all morning.

"Then darling, why don't you come up here and do it," Santana asked through gritted teeth, Quinn flashing her a look of annoyance as she tapped her flip flopped foot.

"Because I did my portion of the party, the planning, the organizing-"

"And I'm doing mine, the paying and the hanging, got it," Santana nodded, groaning as she adjusted the streamer to Quinn's liking.

"Now, was that so hard?" Quinn asked sweetly as Santana stepped off the ladder, batting her lashes as the brunette rolled her eyes.

"Shut your pretty face and let's get the chairs done," Santana dismissed, Quinn jabbing her wife's side as they began strategically placing plastic chairs, all wrapped in butterfly covers, around their backyard.

"Now, let me see. Tables are all covered, and all the plates, cups, silverware, and napkins are out. The fruit and vegetable trays are ready and we'll set those out when the first guests arrive. Same with chips and dips. The coolers are filled and we have the backup ice, right?"

"Right," Santana nodded, helping Quinn check off the To-Do list as they glanced around the backyard.

"Julius is grilling everything, so the grill is ready, charcoal out, meat's thawed. What time is he getting here?"

"Kurt and Blaine's flight gets in about 11:45, so giving them time to get their crap and get here, I'd say about 12:30," Santana estimated.

"Hmm," Quinn thought as she went to check her phone, realizing she'd left it inside and on the verge of getting frustrated when Santana placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Relax babe, it's only 12:15, breathe," Santana said as she rubbed Quinn's shoulder.

It had only been a few weeks since Julius had started taking care of Scout but already he'd become an integral part of the Lopez-Fabray family, having spent more and more time with the girls as they all grew closer. He'd spend dinners with the family a few nights a week and, at Scout's request, would often stop by on weekends to play, joining the couple as they dropped the little girl off for her first day of Kindergarten. In them Julius found a family to fill the hole he had of missing his own and the girls found a trusted companion, Santana even warming up to Julius day by day as she got to know more about him. He'd gone on to prove her wrong on many accounts and for that she'd been apologetic, giving Julius the car seat and key as a sign of her trust. He'd even helped them out with a few errands here and there and today had been no exception, offering to pick up Kurt, Blaine, and Jackson from the airport on his way over so the girls had more time to decorate.

"I'm not worried, just checking," Quinn assured, glancing around the brightly colored yard as she scanned for anything else they might need to do.

"I'm gonna go make sure Scout got her bathing suit on the right way," Santana spoke up, Quinn nodding as the brunette pecked her cheek. "You should probably slip into yours too."

"I will, I just wanna make sure everything is done before I change." Santana sighed before heading inside the house, walking towards Scout's room as the little girls voice grew louder.

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy biiiiiiiiiiiiiiirthday to meeeeeeeeee," she was singing as Santana pushed the door open, Scout staring at herself in her flower mirror as she sung into her hairbrush. "Happy birthdaaaaay tooooooooo…meeeeee!"

"Bravo!" Santana cheered as she clapped, Scout spinning around in surprise as her mouth hung open.

"Mami! You sneak!" she squealed, waving her hairbrush as she wagged a finger.

"I just wanted to come check in on my birthday girl and make sure she was ready for her big party," Santana defended, Scout tossing her brush on her bed as she walked towards her mother. "You look beautiful in your bathing suit bug."

"Thanks mami, so do you," Scout complimented, reaching out and running her hands over the gold sarong Santana had wrapped around her hips. "Yours is pink like mine!"

"Well, you inspired me," Santana smiled, grabbing Scout's hand and leading her down the hall as the little girl hummed. "Your waterslide is all set up for you too."

"Yes! Are any of my friends here yet?" Scout asked, tapping a few balloons that were taped to a window as they headed for the backyard.

"Not yet, your party doesn't start until one, but I wanted to make sure you got into your bathing suit ok."

"Mami, I'm a big girl now, you don't have to check on me," Scout sighed.

"I know, but no matter how big you get you know you're always gonna be my baby."

"Yeah, yeah," Scout nodded, Santana opening the backdoor as Scout ran into the yard. "Mami! It's so pretty!"

"Yeah? You like it?" Santana asked, Scout squealing as she ran towards her present table.

"I love it! Look at all my butterflies!" Scout exclaimed, running her hands over the butterfly tablecloth as her eyes scanned the pink bags and wrapped boxes. "You and mommy got me all these?"

"Well some are from Grandma Judy, she couldn't make it because your Aunt Frannie just had her baby," Santana explained. "And a few of these are from your abuelos. Your 'Belo had to go to a big weekend convention for work and 'Bela went with him. He hates to travel by himself."

"Belo's so silly," Scout laughed as she thought about her grandfather, Santana pointing to a particularly large box resting on the ground by the table.

"Mami's present is still hidden because it was too big to wrap, but that one there," she whispered as she leaned down by Scout, directing the little girl's eyes to the present. "That one is from mommy." Scout's eyes widened as she darted towards the box, running her hands up and down the sides as she oohed and awed.

"Can you give me a hint?" she asked excitedly, Santana shaking her head as she waved a finger.

"Nope, mommy has sworn me to secrecy."

"Oh but mami, pleeeaaase," Scout begged, latching on to Santana's leg as she puckered out her bottom lip. "I promise I won't tell, pleeeaassse."

"No way, mommy would kill me," Santana resisted, Scout making her bottom lip tremble as she tried to work her mother.

"But I thought I was your little girl," she whined, Santana's resistance weakening as Scout rubbed her cherub like cheeks against the brunette's leg.

"Where's that birthday girl?" an excited voice shouted from the back door suddenly, Santana and Scout looking up to see Blaine standing in the doorframe with his arms outstretched.

"Uncle Blaine!" Scout screamed, releasing her hold on Santana as she ran into Blaine's arms.

"Happy birthday pretty girl," Blaine wished her as he wrapped Scout into a tight hug, picking her up from the ground and placing her on his hip as they walked towards Santana.

"Is Jackson here?" Scout asked, running her fingers over Blaine's nose as she honked it.

"Yep, he's inside getting his swim trunks on. Hi San," Blaine greeted as he pecked the other brunette's cheek. "We saw Quinn fighting to get the balloons to stay to the mailbox as we pulled in. She seems to be in a good place."

"Yeah," Santana answered as she widened her eyes, the two of them moving over as Julius walked out.

"Hey guys-happy birthday Ms. Scout."

"Julius!" Scout shrieked as she dove for his arms, Blaine leaning over to pass the little girl off as Julius took her. "You're here!"

"Of course I am, you didn't think I'd miss your birthday, did you?" he asked, Scout shaking her head as she grinned. "I've gotta get the grill started so we can cook, you wanna help?"

"Sure, I'll show you how to do it," Scout insisted, scooting down from Julius' arms and grabbing his hand as she pulled him towards their grill pit.

"Thanks again Julius, for picking them up for us, really," Santana said as she patted his arm.

"No problem, anytime" he brushed off, Scout yanking him as she began instructing him on how fires work.

"So, speaking of mannies," Blaine muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he and Santana watched Scout point to the bag of charcoal. "You landed yourself a nice one there."

"I know, right?" Santana agreed. "Oh, you mean he's hot. That too."

"I mean wow," Blaine went on, his eyes never leaving Julius as the man poured charcoal into the bottom of the grill.

"Easy boy, you're a happily married man," Santana nudged.

"Oh please, Kurt actually drooled down his shirt when we spotted him," Blaine said with a wave of his hand. "If anything he owes me a stare or two. But things seem to be working out, letting him fetch your friends and whatnot, grilling the meat."

"You know it's the meat, that's where I struggled on whether I could really trust him or not," Santana said flatly as Blaine rolled his eyes. "No really, he's great though. Scout's in love with him and his Beast impression, Quinn is head over heels with the help he's giving Scout on her two digit numbers. It really worked out great."

"Well I'm glad, see what happens when you open yourself up to new things," Blaine smiled smugly, Santana flashing him a fake smile before kneeing his thigh. "Hey!"

"Get over yourself," she called, walking into the yard as she helped Scout onto the water slide.

* * *

><p>Scout's party began and soon the Lopez-Fabray yard was filled with nineteen screaming wet four and five year olds, the backyard flooded from the waterslides overflow and covered in pieces of popped balloons from the water balloon fight. Quinn, Blaine, and Scout had teamed up against Santana, Kurt, and Julius, dividing the kids up amongst the teams before pelting each other with water balloons and spraying Super Soaker guns at their opponents. Quinn's team ended up defeating Santana's, thanks to a sneaky water balloon toss by Scout that Julius hadn't seen coming, the partygoers unaware that they're beautiful afternoon was being captured on camera by the driver of the red Camry parked by the curb of the road that ran behind their backyard.<p>

Pictures of Scout screaming as she glided down the waterslide and smiled with her cheeks stuffed full of fruit flashed by the camera's lens as picture after picture was snapped, jealous eyes taking in the scene as they watched the little girl run amongst friends and family.

The guests had wolfed down Julius' food and merrily sung Scout happy birthday before dismantling her butterfly cake, the sticky, soaked five year old having devoured her piece quickly in order to get to her presents. She now sat on her knees in her birthday girl seat as she tore into another wrapped present, Santana taking her own pictures as Quinn helped Scout open the bags and boxes.

"This one is from Maggie," Quinn informed her as she read the card, Scout uninterested in the giver of the gift as she hastily unwrapped the shiny pink paper.

"Mama! Look! Mama, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Scout gasped as she pulled a tiny tea set from the paper, her eyes bulging and mouth gaping as she flapped her hand in the air excitedly. "Mami, look! Look!"

"I see baby, I love it!" Santana exclaimed behind her own camera, taking a picture of Scout's expression before the little girl jumped from her seat.

"I love it Maggie, thank you!" Scout squealed as she wrapped her arms around a small brunette girl with pigtails, Quinn calling Scout back as she grabbed another gift.

"Thank you Maggie. Alright, put the tea set down for now and come open another, we still have more to go," Quinn smiled, Scout exchanging the tea set for the yellow box in Quinn's hand. "Now this one is from Julius."

"Ohhhhh," Scout grinned as she began pulling at the tape, Quinn helping her pull the lid off as Scout screamed. "Mama it's _Beauty in the Beast_!" The jewelry box that rested in her hands was made from polished dark wood, delicate dark purple, pink, and yellow carvings of flowers and swirls decorating the sides. The lid had the enchanted rose carved into the left side, the glass case a soft blue and the rose a vibrant red, the quote, "Tale as old as time…" carved in cursive next to it.

"Julius, that's beautiful," Quinn looked on in awe, Scout still astonished at its beauty as she ran her eyes over each side.

"See it's a jewelry box," Julius explained as he stepped forward, leaning a hand towards Scout and flicking the golden latch up. "Open the lid Scout." Scout did as instructed, opening the lid to see her own image reflected back in the tiny mirror attached to the inside of the lid. In front of it were Belle and Beast figurines, standing in a dance pose as they waited to be turned on. "You can put your pretty rings and bracelets down here, and when you spin this little knob right here…" Julius turned the knob and Beauty and the Beast began to play, the figurines spinning around in circles as Scout watched in delight.

"I've never loved anything as much as I love this," Scout whispered as she continued watching the jewelry box play, Quinn meeting Santana's eyes as Scout moved from her seat to hug Julius. "Thank you Julius, I love it. I love you, soooooo much." The other parents cooed as Scout placed a kiss on Julius' cheek, still holding on tightly to the jewelry box as he wrapped her into a hug.

Scout finally finished opening her presents, the cupcake printed bike Santana got her and art easel Quinn bought not coming close to Julius' gift. She carried the jewelry box around the yard as they finished playing backyard games and passing out goody bags, the party goers slowly trickling out until no one was left playing Candy Land but Jackson and Scout. Quinn and Kurt began cleaning off the tables as Julius and Blaine picked up the yard, Santana helping take down the water slide and ignoring Quinn's horrified face when they realized the massive puddle created in the center of their yard.

As the sun finally set the five adults finished their cleaning and headed inside, Julius taking over bathing Scout and Jackson as the others took down decorations. After Scout and Jackson crawled into her bed to watch TV the five adults collapsed onto the den sofas, Quinn laying her head in Santana's lap as Kurt snuggled into Blaine's side.

"I gotta say, I think that was the best birthday we've thrown yet," Santana declared as she stroked Quinn's forehead, everyone nodding in agreeance wearily.

"Those kids are gonna sleep good tonight," Blaine yawned, tightening his grip around Kurt as he rubbed his shoulder. "I'm gonna sleep good tonight.

"I gotta know, where in the world did you find that jewelry box?" Quinn asked as she turned her head to Julius, who was resting in the recliner. "I mean you totally stole the show."

"Yeah, not bitter about it at all," Santana muttered, Quinn turning her head to look up at her wife and reaching out to pinch her nose.

"I did a lot of looking on ebay. None of them really had quite what I was looking for, but I found the wooden box with the figurines and thought I could improvise a little. There was like a sticker picture of Belle on the lid but my dad helped me sand it off. He did a lot of the carving, at least when it came to the picture of the rose. I did the lettering, and then after I painted it he slapped the wood varnish on it and we were done."

"You did that? You put all that detailing on there?" Blaine asked, Julius nodding as he explained.

"If you look closely you can kinda tell the words are a little slanted, and some of the paint looks funny, but I thought it was more important about the meaning behind it than the appearance."

"He cooks, he cleans, he's great with kids, and now he's a woodworker apparently. Jesus Christ have a flaw already," Kurt groaned from his spot, Julius chuckling as Blaine squeezed Kurt. "I mean really, none of us can keep up with you."

"Go to bed, Grump," Quinn teased as she tossed a throw pillow at Kurt, nailing Blaine in the face instead and snorting as she turned her head to hide her smile in Santana's stomach.

"Not a bed suggestion actually," Blaine sighed as he moved to stand, chunking the pillow back at Quinn before moving to say goodbye to Julius. "We'll see you again soon, and thanks for picking us up today."

"Yeah, yeah, perfection, perfection," Kurt dismissed, finally giving Julius a smile before hugging him goodbye.

"I'm gonna go make sure they've got the good sheets on their bed," Quinn spoke up as she moved from Santana's lap, following Blaine and Kurt upstairs as Santana was left with Julius.

"You really were a huge help today," Santana said softly as she turned to face Julius. "I appreciated it a lot."

"It's no big deal, I'm glad I could help," Julius nodded. "I actually need to go too though, mind if I say bye to Scout?"

"Not at all," Santana waved as she stood. "What, hot date?"

"Actually…yeah," Julius smiled, Santana widening her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Really? Well good for you!" Santana applauded. "You haven't said a word sneak, when did you meet them?"

"A few weeks ago," Julius began, grabbing his keys as he slipped into his flip flops. "Actually my first afternoon working for you guys."

"That's a strange way to remember, but ok," Santana chuckled.

"Well I only remember it by that because of how I met her. I kinda almost hit her with my car," Julius explained, rubbing the back of his head with his hand as he winced.

"Jesus Jules, we gotta work on your game. Saying hello is also a nice approach."

"No, no," Julius laughed. "She was out for a jog and I just didn't see her. I swerved when I did though, and luckily I didn't hurt her. I got out to check on her and offered her a ride home. I thought maybe if I was nice enough she wouldn't try to have me arrested for anything, and it went from there."

"Well good for you," Santana smiled. They headed to Scout's room to find both kids asleep, Julius pecking her forehead before heading out the door. Santana went around and checked the locks as always, heading upstairs to find Quinn slipping out of her shorts in their bedroom.

"Wait, hold on," Santana urged as she held up a finger, moving to the dresser and retrieving her camera.

"San."

"Now, gently untie your bathing suit top," Santana directed from behind her camera, Quinn frowning from her place across the room. "Then slip the bottoms down slowly. Do that hip wiggle thing you do too."

"I am way too tired to role-play tonight," Quinn sighed, Santana not budging as she watched her wife blink at her through the lens. "San, come on."

"Fine, don't take my directions, I'll just have to choose my shots carefully," Santana shrugged, Quinn tossing her shorts at Santana before heading into the bathroom.

"I sent Angela a few snapshots from the party. She won't actually open the e-mail for another month, but I thought it'd be nice to keep her updated," Quinn called from the bathroom. "I included one of Julius too, just so she knows what he looks like for future reference."

"Did she ever get back to you about that?" Santana asked as she set the camera down and pulled off her own clothes.

"Nope, but I didn't really expect her to. She's sort of awful with e-mail," Quinn answered as she turned on the water for her shower. "She'll shoot me one at the end of the year with a response to the twelve I've sent her."

"We have to make our yearly visitation appointment with her, don't let me forget," Santana reminded Quinn as she headed for the bathroom.

In the beginning, when Santana and Quinn first adopted Scout, their adoption case worker Angela visited monthly to monitor how the couple was doing and assist them with any help or guidance. It was a part of the agencies policy to keep monthly tabs on first time couples and the girls had benefited tremendously, Angela always reassuring them of their parenting and capabilities. As time went on and the girls continued to show growth in their parenting and maintained their loving and healthy environment for Scout, the visits lessened with each year. Now that Scout was five, and the girls kept in touch regularly to update Angela on the little girl's status, they only had to participate in a yearly visitation with Angela, the frazzled woman always showing up late but always with a toy for Scout and praise for Quinn and Santana.

"I won't," Quinn nodded, Santana walking in to find her wife pulling a towel from the cabinet. "But really, best birthday we've thrown hands down."

"Uh huh," Santana agreed, too busy staring at Quinn's ass jiggle as the blonde walked back to the tub to check the water.

"I mean, I never thought we would top _Tangled_ last year with the bouncy castle, but this one was perfect," Quinn went on as she set her towel down on the side table by the tub.

"Mhmm," Santana mumbled as Quinn bent over to stick her hand in the water, the angle giving the brunette the perfect view of her pussy.

"The kids had a ball, I didn't see one without a smile on their face," she grinned, flicking the shower nozzle and moving to stand as she smiled. "And Scout, she was so happy. She and Jackson were inseparable. I think the water balloon fight clinched it for them."

"Personally it was you in the bikini for me, if you're wondering," Santana finally spoke, walking over to Quinn as her wife frowned.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" she asked Santana in annoyance, her wife waving her off before grabbing the blonde's hands.

"'Course I have, Scout had fun, Scout loves Jackson, water balloons, got it." She moved her hands to Quinn's shoulders and lightly ran her hands down them, moving them back up to caress the blonde's breasts.

"You have the sexual appetite of a sixteen year old boy," Quinn muttered as she shook her head, her nipples hardening underneath Santana's touch and causing the brunette to smile deviously.

"Maybe, but I've got the skills of Don Juan," Santana grinned, Quinn snorting as her wife pulled her in by the waist.

"You're the only person who's ever considered Don Juan a good reference," Quinn pointed out, Santana grunting in response as her mouth latched on to the skin of Quinn's neck. She let her hands slide down Quinn's back as she guided the blonde toward the sink, her fingers reaching Quinn's backside and nails digging into the flesh as she hoisted her wife up onto the counter.

"San!" Quinn giggled tiredly, the brunette meeting Quinn's eyes and arching a brow before moving her lips to Quinn's chest. She placed kisses against each collar bone as her hands moved to slide Quinn's legs apart, the blonde holding herself up with one hand as the other ran through Santana's hair.

"Really though, Scout had so much fun today, especially with Jackson. I know she has her little friends at school, but none of them make her smile like he does," Quinn continued to say, Santana halting mid kiss and looking up at her wife.

"Honey I'm-I'm kind of trying to create a situation here," Santana pointed out, motioning to her position between Quinn's legs. "Can we just save the Scout talk for like ten minutes?"

"Ten? Really?" Quinn asked as she raised her brow.

"Oh please, I can get you off in five, I'm just including time for a round two," Santana answered proudly, Quinn rolling her eyes as she pulled Santana up by her chin.

"Well I'm really trying to say something," Quinn said as her tone grew serious, Santana nodding as she followed along.

"Ok, ok, what are you trying to say?" Quinn paused as she bit her lip, the running shower water the only sound filling the room for a few moments. "Quinn?"

"I…I think I want another baby, San," Quinn finally answered, a nervous smile forming on her face as Santana's own filled with surprise.

"Really?" Santana asked as her mouth hung open, Quinn nodding as she bit her lip. "I mean you mentioned it a little while ago, I just didn't realize it was really something you'd been thinking that much about."

"It wasn't then, but it's been coming up again and again in my head lately," Quinn explained as she slid off the counter. "The more thought I put into it the less crazy it seems."

"Look you know I've always wanted another kid," Santana began, Quinn listening nervously as her wife went on. "If I recall it was me insisting you let me get you pregnant the second after I held Scout."

"And if I recall it was me insisting that that's not how babies work when it comes to bisexuals and lesbians," Quinn added with a wink, Santana brushing off Quinn's comment as she continued to speak.

"Regardless, I've always wanted another child. I just-what about what you said about timing and everything? Us being so busy with work and your teaching and classes?"

"I mean we're always going to be busy San," Quinn smiled with a small laugh. "That's just a part of life, our life at least. I'm always going to be tutoring students and you're always going to be wooing some new client."

"True," Santana noted, her wife pushing her blonde bangs away as she continued to speak.

"But this is still something, regardless of all that chaos, that I want for us, for Scout. I've loved our little family since it was just you and I, but adding Scout just made it that much more happy and filled with love. I can't think but how exciting it would be to have it grow again." Santana's smile widened as she thought back to her and Quinn bringing home Scout, how terrifying and overwhelming it'd all been but how much the two of them had grown together. It'd been a challenge but one that had only brought them closer and made them stronger, the brunette falling in love all over again as she watched Quinn blossom into a mother.

"And I figure the timing right now is pretty perfect. I'll finally earn my Masters in May and won't have any more classes during the weeknights, so that'll be one less thing we have to juggle. Plus we have Julius to help with Scout."

"I don't know though, if we bring him another one of our kids to help with he may call it quits," Santana joked, Quinn swatting at the brunette as she giggled.

"Even so, I still want to do this," Quinn assured, reaching out to hold Santana's hand. "I want this for us, for our family." Santana moved closer as she rested her forehead against Quinn's, resting the palms of her hands on Quinn's shoulders and rubbing them up and down the blonde's arms as she nodded.

"Me too." Quinn's eyes sparkled as she moved to press her lips to Santana's, her hands gripping the brunette's waist as she pulled her in.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, unbeknownst to the adults or little Jackson who she'd tricked into thinking she was asleep, Scout sat on the floor in the middle of her bedroom, the small Care Bear flashlight that she set on her nightstand her only source of light. In her lap lay a coloring book she'd turned into an impromptu sticker book, a large teddy bear sticker holding a 'Happy Birthday' balloon stuck to her right hand as her left flipped through the book to find the perfect spot for her new sticker.<p>

For the past few weeks, Scout had been finding stickers stuck to the outside of her bedroom window, the first being the heart one she'd found the night she'd been scared by the face in her window. Her parents had insisted the face she saw was probably just a neighborhood kid who was trying to be silly, reciting the story repeatedly until the little girl had finally drifted to sleep. She'd still been scared of the unknown kid the next day, telling the story to her classmates and declaring that she and Julius were going to stay up all night until they caught the 'snot faced latchy kid'. That had been the plan she'd come up with in the beginning, things changing when she found a new sticker on her window that afternoon. She'd noticed it when she'd dropped her book bag off in her room, her eyes darting to the window to check for a face and being surprised to find another sticker. She'd approached it cautiously and smiled when she saw it was Rapunzel giving Flynn Rider a kiss, the scene one of her very favorites. She'd then decided that the kid who scared her was trying to apologize to her, deciding to forgive them like her mother's taught her to. She'd then asked Julius to take her outside to play hide-and-seek and peeled both stickers off when Julius had gone to hide, pressing them into her coloring book to keep them.

Ever since, without fail, Scout would find a new sticker pressed against her window in the mornings, always checking her window first thing when she'd awaken to see what new sticker had been left for her and collecting them in the afternoons when Julius took her outside. They always varied in characters and colors, some of her favorite Disney princesses and some of cute animals or flowers. Her favorites were the glittery ones that sparkled when she moved them in the sunlight, always putting them in the front of her new sticker book. She hadn't told anyone about her recent discoveries, feeling silly for being mad at her new friend. She hadn't seen any more faces in her window either, her new friend content enough to merely watch from a safe distance as Scout gathered the stickers every afternoon during Hide-and-Seek. A plan had already been set in motion for a reunion to occur soon enough, Scout unaware that with every sticker she took the closer her stalker came into her life.

* * *

><p>"…and I get to pick the name this time."<p>

"San."

"Look, I love our daughter, and there isn't another name in the world that suits her better, but you didn't have to deal with my mother's face when I tried to explain she was named after a fictional character from _To Kill A Mockingbird_."

"I think you're getting ahead-hey! That's my favorite book!"

"And I'm my mother's favorite child and that still didn't keep her from judging me." Quinn tilted her head up and rested her chin on Santana's chest, scrunching her nose at her wife as she showed her disapproval. Their excitement over the decision to have another baby had resulted in the two of them taking each other right then on the tiled floor, Quinn's shower abandoned as the steam filled their bathroom. They were now left in the hazy aftermath, lying together on the floor as they discussed their decision. "I'm just saying, I've got dibs on the name this time."

"And I'm just saying, we just decided this," Quinn reminded her, dragging her fingertips down the dip in Santana's rib cage. "I think we should focus on making sure we'll actually be able to adopt a baby before we pick out any names."

"Why wouldn't we be eligible?" Santana asked, shifting her head so her eyes could meet Quinn's. "We got Scout without any question to our credibility, and since we already have one adoption under our belt this time should be a cakewalk."

"I know, but I just-with everything we went through with those first couples who changed their minds," Quinn recalled, her voice softening as she dropped her eyes. "I just want to make sure everything is finalized first."

"That was hard, I know," Santana comforted, tightening her arm around Quinn's body. "But it ended up perfectly because we got our perfect little girl."

"I know, and I wouldn't change that for anything," Quinn agreed. "I just wish we didn't have to endure that disappointment, the not knowing if we ever would get our baby."

"We didn't know as much then as we do now," Santana pointed out. "And we have a ton of options available when it comes to adoption, if that's the way we decide to go."

"Well how else would we go about it?" Quinn asked with a snort. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"No, dork," Santana giggled as she tickled Quinn, the blonde squealing as she wiggled her body. "I just mean there's other ways, like Artificial Insemination or IVF."

"Both of which include sperm," Quinn announced as she looked at her wife, moving to sit up as she watched Santana nod.

"Correct," Santana agreed.

"Right, and we don't make sperm San," Quinn reiterated, wondering how the brunette was missing her point. "Unless your clit isn't really your clit and you've got something to share."

"I think we both know my clit is yours," Santana grinned deviously, pushing herself up as she leaned in to kiss Quinn.

"San, you know what I mean," Quinn mumbled between their kiss. "We'd need a donor for something like that."

"Ok," Santana shrugged as she pulled away from the blonde, Quinn's brow furrowing at her wife's nonchalant attitude.

"Ok?" Quinn repeated, her voice raising as she shook her head. "Then that means we'd have to use a donor."

"I know how it works," Santana assured her wife. "I mean it was a public school education, but they got the point of sex across pretty well." Quinn stared at her wife with a confused expression, Santana waiting for the blonde to say something as she picked at the fabric of the bathroom rub.

"I just-I never thought that was an option for us," Quinn finally spoke, readjusting her legs as she thought.

"Well we never really talked about any other options besides adoption when we were trying the first time," Santana remembered.

"Right, just because I didn't know how comfortable we'd feel having a third party involved with having our baby," Quinn admitted.

"Well look at Scout Q, two other people made her and it hasn't affected us, has it?" Santana asked, Quinn shaking her head as she agreed. "I mean I always thought it was a weird concept too, but after looking at how well it worked for Kurt and Blaine it kind of took the stigma away."

"I mean I agree, but it wouldn't bother you? To have one of us make a baby with someone we don't know?" Quinn questioned hesitantly.

"No, because I don't see it that way," Santana answered, leaning her back against a cabinet as she crossed her arms. "I mean yes, DNA wise it would only be one of ours, but that wouldn't make it any less our child. We'd be raising the baby together, we'd be their mothers, and we'd be their family." Quinn nodded as she listened, her lips pursed as Santana went on. "And I thought that we could find a way to incorporate both of us, so we'd both be a part of it."

"How?" Quinn asked, her face softening as she waited for Santana to explain.

"Well, if we did AI, we'd need a sperm donor, an egg, and a uterus, right?" Santana asked, Quinn nodding as Santana used her hands to explain. "So one of us could give the egg and the other could carry. That way we'd both play a role in conceiving our child."

"You've thought about this before, haven't you?" Quinn asked as a faint smile formed, Santana shrugging as she fiddled her fingers.

"Maybe." Quinn moved towards Santana and sat next to her, grabbing her wife's hands and placing them in her own.

"I can't wait to tell this baby that we decided their fate naked on the bathroom floor," Quinn said as she kissed Santana's hands, the brunette laughing as Quinn smiled against her tan skin.

"I'm not saying it's the way we have to go, it's just an option. It may not even take or we may not be able to settle on a donor, but I just thought it was something we could think about."

"I think it's a great option, really," Quinn assured her wife, moving to rest her chin on Santana's shoulder.

"I just know that adopting last time was tolling, and I just didn't wanna have to go through that whole ordeal again. Plus you were kinda hot when you were pregnant in high school."

"Who said I was carrying the baby? That I would carry your baby?" Quinn asked, pulling away as she arched her brow.

"Well who else's baby would it be? And besides, we already have enough blonde nutjobs in this house, I need someone on my team," Santana insisted, Quinn shaking her head in amusement as the brunette nodded. "Couldn't you imagine a little mini me?"

"Breaking out into Spanish when they're mad and insisting the food isn't spicy enough?" Quinn asked as she imagined momentarily a tiny Santana.

"I'm sorry you're white, I'm sorry pepper makes your mouth break out," Santana said flatly, Quinn jabbing Santana with her forefinger. "Really though, I was just throwing it out there, you wouldn't have to. I mean after everything with Beth I wouldn't want to make you go through that again or bring up any painful memories."

"It wouldn't," Quinn said after a pause, thinking back to her first pregnancy and smiling. After she and Puck had gotten pregnant, Quinn struggled with what to do, deciding on adoption in the beginning because she simply wanted to get rid of the reminder of her mistake with Puck. As the pregnancy progressed though she realized how incapable she truly was of caring for the baby, realizing that the decision truly was for the best.

The day of Beth's birth had been the hardest day of Quinn's life, holding the baby in her arms and never wanting to let her go. Puck and her mother had both given her scenarios in which they kept Beth and life went on happily but Quinn knew they weren't capable, her mother barely raising Quinn and her sister and Puck out of touch with what he'd have to sacrifice. In the end, after talking things out rationally with her friend Mercedes and sobbing apologies into Beth's forehead, Quinn signed the baby away to Shelby Corcoran, spending the next year trying to cope with her decision.

She'd seen Beth a few times here and there but it never felt right, Quinn growing to realize that Beth may have come from her body but she wasn't her baby. She'd loved Beth but Shelby gave her the life she'd deserved, able to let her idea of Beth go when Shelby moved. She had finally started to heal after that, only able to fully understand and accept her decision when it came time for their own adoption with Scout. She was able to understand the delicate process more and experience the joy of receiving the child she'd always dreamed of, knowing she'd given that joy to Shelby helping her start a new chapter with Scout.

"I made my peace with that a long time ago. Maybe not with the stretch marks," Quinn tried to joke, Santana snickering as she reached out to rub the faded lines on Quinn's sides.

"I love your lightning streaks," Santana comforted, using Scout's name for them before leaning down to kiss one.

"Me too." They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments longer, Quinn only moving to finally turn the shower off.

"So we're doing this?" Santana clarified as she stood as well, Quinn giving up on showering for the night as she slipped into her pajamas. "You and me and Scout, we're gonna have another baby?"

"We're gonna try," Quinn nodded, the two sharing another excited smile before heading to bed.

* * *

><p>The next morning arrived and the Lopez-Fabray house remained silent, everyone still exhausted from the previous day's events. Quinn and Santana slept tangled in each other while Kurt and Blaine snoozed peacefully, the only rustling coming from Scout downstairs as she pushed her covers back. She could already see a new sticker waiting for her and she excitedly hit the floor, remembering Jackson was still with her and tiptoeing across her floor as she approached her window.<p>

Scout's eyes widened happily when she held her Care Bear flashlight up to her window and saw two cartoon dogs, one a mother and the other her puppy. They were snuggled together with blue ribbons around their necks, a sign hanging above them that said something Scout couldn't read. What was different about this newest sticker was that there was a note attached along with it, the small piece of paper folded over and stuck under the bottom part of the sticker. Scout wondered excitedly if it was a late birthday present from her friend and her excitement got the best of her, the little girl deciding to quietly step outside and retrieve her surprise.

Scout knew she wasn't supposed to go outside without supervision, much less unlock the doors without permission, but she wanted her new sticker more than she wanted to follow her mother's rules. She crept down the hall and into the den, unlocking the back door that led outside and running as fast as she could to her window.

The sky was still dark as she ran, only a small glow from the impending sunrise lighting Scout's way. The ground was still wet from the morning dew and blades of grass stuck between her toes as she rounded the corner of the house, finally slowing down when she reached her windowsill. Underneath her window were thick bushes, but Scout had already carefully kicked through them to create a path for her to stand when she was grabbing her stickers. She pushed up on her tiptoes and pulled the piece of paper attached to her sticker up, the cartoon image slowly unsticking from the window until Scout held it in her hand. She thought about opening it now but decided to run back in before she got caught and in trouble, darting through her yard once more and closing the den backdoor behind her.

Had Scout taken a moment to look around she would have noticed the slender woman who was watching from her car, who, at the sight of the child outside and alone, had lurched from her driver's seat and proceeded towards the Lopez-Fabray house. But Scout had missed this, was unaware that a pair of hands had been just within snatching reach, her decision to run inside one that had saved her.

For the moment.


End file.
